Jean-Michel BLANQUER, Minister of Education and Youth, and Franck RIESTER, Minister of Culture, create a heritage day for students.
This day with the slogan “Look up!” will take place throughout the country on Friday 20 September 2019, the eve of the European Heritage Days.
The discovery of heritage is essential for the formation of young people who learn to look, understand, and admire the world around them. Reading the architecture, discovering the remarkable gardens, practicing the reading of the landscapes, becoming aware of the material and intangible heritage, deciphering the city, the countryside are necessary spurs to develop the creativity of the students and enable them, in turn, to be heritage builders.
On September 20, it is therefore proposed to teachers from kindergarten to the Terminale, to accompany their students in heritage places. These can be the local heritage (the school building, the church, the wash-house of a village or the streets and monuments of a city) or remarkable places such as historical monuments.
"Look up!" supports and generalizes the initiatives and operations already existing, designed and organized by a large number of local actors and associations of defense of the heritage and valorization of the architecture, engaged for a long time in programs of awareness of young people:
- In the first place, the Les Enfants du patrimoine scheme, led by the Fédération nationale des Conseils d'architecture, d'urbanisme et de l'environnement (FNCAUE) and supported by the Ministry of Culture, which has been in existence in the Ile-of France and has been extended for two years to other territories.
- Also, the actions of actors supported by the Ministry of Culture such as the Network of Houses of Architecture (RMA), the Cities and countries of art and history, Sites and remarkable cities of France, Old French houses, Historic residence, Federation Heritage-environment, the Fondation Sauvegarde de l'art français, Rempart, CHAM (Chantiers histoire et architecture médiévales), the Fondation du patrimoine and the Fédération des musées d'agriculture et du patrimoine rural (AFMA), etc.
To help teachers, ministers make available a guide in partnership with INHA. In addition, the study of heritage enters the curriculum of history, geography, geopolitics and political science specialty for the general senior class.
As an extension of this day, other events will also be offered to students such as Friday, October 18, 2019, eve of the National Days of Architecture, as the art of building is intrinsically linked to heritage. Because the contemporary architecture that surrounds us and forms our daily living environment, will be our heritage of tomorrow.
"Look up!" meets the objective set by the President of the Republic to provide 100% of students with quality arts and cultural education.
' Heritage and architecture remind us of where we come from and instill in our daily life moments of simple and rich contemplation! "Look up!" has been set up to promote the widest knowledge of it », Franck RIESTER, Minister of Culture.
In every education, there are elements of tradition and elements of modernity, essential continuities and necessary changes. This dual orientation, towards the heritage past and towards the future of the human project [… ] expresses at the same time fidelity to the inheritance we have received [… ] and a commitment to those who will follow us […].” Jean-Michel BLANQUER, School of trust, Odile JACOB, 2018, pp. 15-16.