Living Heritage Goes to School 2026
The initiative
To mark the International Day of Intangible Cultural Heritage, the UNESCO Chair on Intangible Cultural Heritage and Comparative Law at UnitelmaSapienza University of Rome promotes the third edition of Living Heritage Goes to School, a nationwide educational initiative bringing the principles of the 2003 UNESCO Convention into Italian schools.
Building on the previous editions, the project invites students and teachers to explore living heritage as a set of knowledge, practices, expressions and traditions that communities recognise as part of their cultural identity. The initiative aims to strengthen awareness among younger generations and to support schools in integrating intangible cultural heritage into educational practice.
Educational toolkit
For the 2026 edition, the UNESCO Chair has developed a renewed toolkit for participating schools. The toolkit introduces the meaning of intangible cultural heritage, the concept of safeguarding and the importance of living heritage in formal education.
It includes activities for three educational levels:
Primary school
Lower secondary school
Upper secondary school
For each level, three activities are proposed: one to reconnect students with their own living heritage, one to encourage reflection on cultural diversity and respect for the heritage of others, and one to explore music as a tool for learning, participation and intercultural dialogue.