The publication traces the journey of the World Heritage Volunteers Initiative (WHV) which started with just 12 action camps involving 153 volunteers in 2008. By the end of 2017 it had implemented a total of 341 action camps at 138 sites inscribed on the World Heritage List or Tentative Lists in 60 countries, involving 110 organizations and more than 5,000 volunteers. It not only details the action camps and activities implemented by each organization, along with their highlights and achievements, but also discusses the challenges faced by the organizations in heritage conservation. It also identifies best practices from each of the regions, delving deeper into their promotion of youth participation and the lessons learnt.

This publication also highlights the impact that the rich hands-on and heritage-focused activities have on young people and how this intercultural learning experience influences their development on a personal, societal, and heritage level.

Through this publication, we celebrate the outstanding achievements of the WHV Initiative – the commitment and engagement of the organizations, coordinating partners, institutions and volunteers towards preserving our heritage beyond territories and boundaries, while paving the way for engaging with new organizations, institutions and volunteers in the years ahead.

UNESCO World Heritage Convention. n.d. “New Publication: ‘Empowering Youth For Heritage – 10 Years Of The World Heritage Volunteers Initiative.’” UNESCO World Heritage Convention. Accessed December 11, 2023. https://whc.unesco.org/en/news/2111. Archived at: https://perma.cc/PH55-D4NK

UNESCO and Chantal Connaughton. 2020. Empowering Youth for Heritage. Paris: UNESCO Publishing.