RCE Saskatchewan-2017

rce_proj_title_2013
.
1. Project Title: 
Saskatchewan Ecomuseum Partnership (SEP) - 2017
2. Thematic area/s addressed by the project
Select your options: 
Biodiversity
Climate Change (CC)
Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP)
Youth
3. Project partner contact information : 
Organization: 
Royal Saskatchewan Museum (Saskatchewan Ministry of Parks, Culture and Sport)
Role: 
Project lead and Chair, SEP Steering Committee
Main Contact: 
Dr. Glenn Sutter
Name: 
Dr. Glenn Sutter
Affiliation: 
Curator of Human Ecology, Royal Saskatchewan Museum
Email: 
glenn.sutter@gov.sk.ca
4. Project type
Select the relevant type for your project: 
Bridging local and global perspectives on SD
Engaging with transformative learning and research for SD
Contributing to community engagement
Contributing to capacity development of stakeholders and partners
5. Project description
Provide a short description of the project including strategies, regional challenges, aims and specific project activities.: 

The SEP consists of provincial heritage organizations that are committed to the development of ecomuseums in Saskatchewan. Since 2011, their combined efforts have helped to foster a growing number of ecomuseums that comprise the Saskatchewan Ecomuseum Network (SEN). Current ecomuseum sites include ranching and recreational communities, a low-income urban area with a large First Nations population, and bedroom communities near the City of Regina. These sites and the work of the SEP are helping to advance ESD because ecomuseums are community-driven “museums without walls” that aim to foster sustainable forms of development through the conservation and interpretation of tangible and intangible heritage. They require holistic approaches to community engagement around current cultures, traditions, and other assets, helping people adapt to changes that are affecting their regions.

7. Provide references and reference materials : 
Microsoft Office document icon References for SK Ecomuseum Partnership.doc
6. Project status
On Going
Description: 
In 2011, the Royal Saskatchewan Museum, the Museums Association of Saskatchewan (MAS), Heritage Saskatchewan, and SaskCulture decided to form a steering committee that would oversee an exploratory project called the Saskatchewan Ecomuseums Initiative (SEI). This committee has now expanded to include Raven Consortium (a group of Indigenous consultants), Nature Saskatchewan, the Saskatchewan Parks and Recreation Association, the Saskatchewan History and Folklore Society, and the National Trust for Canada. Key outputs have included: a working definition of an ecomuseum, a detailed concept paper, an independent feasibility study, a development framework for newly-forming ecomuseums, a website, a Facebook group, and an interdisciplinary studies course offered through Luther College at the University of Regina called Ecomuseums: Exploring Place.

By responding to expressions of interest and working directly with local residents, the SEI helped ecomuseums take root at five locations across the province and several other communities have expressed interest in or started to work with the concept. All of these locations are members of new museum group, called the Saskatchewan Ecomuseum Network that was launched by MAS in April 2017.

The provincial work has also entered a new phase, transitioning from an informal group of organizations interested in an idea, to more rigorous multi-agency collaboration that reflects a shared commitment to ecomuseum development. The steering group has thus been re-branded as the Saskatchewan Ecomuseum Partnership (SEP) and an agreement is being developed to define how each organization will be contributing to that commitment.
8. Tagging
Region: 
Americas
Tags (choose up to 5): 
Arts
Cities
Community Education
EcoTourism
Water