Growing National Trusts in the Middle East

INTO is partnering with our member Petra National Trust and Carey Tourism for a project that will promote the use of the National Trust model in the Middle East North Africa (MENA) region.

Petra National Trust is Jordan’s national institution for the protection and preservation of national cultural heritage. With a focus on the World Heritage Site of Petra, the trust aims to foster a meaningful sense of cultural identity and pride in the rich heritage of Jordan.

The project is funded by a grant from the Cultural Protection Fund, a partnership between the British Council and UK Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport.

INTO Deputy Secretary-General Alexander Lamont Bishop will facilitate a week’s training on community engagement delivered by INTO members. This programme will draw on examples from around the world, based on a series of interviews with INTO members that have been captioned in Arabic.

The training programme focuses on case studies in four areas:

• Education
• Skills development
• Volunteering
• Sustainable commercial operations

INTO has been fortunate to benefit from the expertise of the National Trust of Trinidad and Tobago and Cross-Cultural Foundation of Uganda in relation to their education programmes. The Mehrangarh Museum Trust provided invaluable insight into setting up and running a heritage shop in a way that gives back to the local community, while Rempart discussed their long experience with volunteering and skills development, two areas that can often come hand in hand.