2023年12月11日，在联合国教科文组织-中国青少年发展基金会梅赛德斯-奔驰星愿基金《中国世界遗产地保护和管理》项目四期（2021-2024）框架下，由联合国教科文组织主办、松桃苗族自治县人民政府和苏州工艺美术职业技术学院（苏工美）承办的第三期“非遗助力乡村振兴”可持续生计研修班在苏州顺利开班。
今年，随着泉州成为联合国教科文组织世界遗产地可持续生计项目的最新试点地，来自中国丹霞贵州赤水、四川大熊猫栖息地卧龙、梵净山贵州松桃、中国南方喀斯特云南石林和福建泉州共五个世界遗产地可持续生计试点项目的25位（15位女性）社区带头人、非遗传承人和从业者等参加了本次研修班。
此次培训班是“非遗助力乡村振兴”系列培训班的第三期，此前的两期研修班提升了松桃、石林、赤水、卧龙40名社区带头人，特别是非遗传承人和从业人员、留守妇女、扶贫搬迁户等群体对于遗产保护和文创产品设计的能力。基于此前培训班的成果和遗产地学员的进一步需求，本期研修班课程聚焦知识产权保护和品牌化运营，旨在促进文创产品可持续发展、传统工艺长远发展和非遗传承。
针对这两方面，研修班邀请请到南京大学、江南大学、苏州大学、南京邮电大学的专家开展知识产权保护、品牌建设与管理课程。另外针对非遗品牌运营，研修班组织学员们赴创意非遗品牌中心开展调研考察，参访多家博物馆、苏绣大师邹英姿工作室、平江路历史文化街区、诚品书店等在文创产品领域已有一定基础和影响力的机构，切身体验非遗品牌运营。
对于25名参培学员而言，15天的研修班是能力快速提升的开端。培训结束后，项目下将提供后续咨询和辅导，协助学员编写知识产权申报文本。学员们也将结合所学到的内容和考察经历，与自己地区的非遗相关从业者共同关注产品研发中的知识产权保护，树立起独特而有吸引力的品牌形象，提升非遗产品的竞争力和价值，以期进一步推进非遗手工艺品牌创新发展，助力乡村振兴和世界遗产地的可持续发展。
开班合影©苏州工艺美术职业技术学院
联合国教科文组织东亚地区办事处代表夏泽翰教授致开幕词©苏州工艺美术职业技术学院
学员们跟随老师练习手机拍摄非遗作品©苏州工艺美术职业技术学院
学员参观访问中国刺绣艺术馆©苏州工艺美术职业技术学院
Focusing on intellectual properties rights and promoting ICH branding: The Third Capacity Building Workshop on Living Heritage for Rural Revitalization successfully opened
On 11 December 2023, the Third Capacity Building Workshop on Living Heritage for Rural Revitalization successfully opened in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province. This training workshop was organized by UNESCO and hosted by Songtao Miao Autonomous County Peoples’Government and Suzhou Art and Design Technology Institute (SADTI) within the framework of UNESCO - China Youth Development Foundation Mercedes-Benz Star Fund“Conservation and Management of World Heritage Sites in China”Project Phase IV.
This year, with the on-boarding of Quanzhou as the new pilot site for UNESCO’s World Heritage Sustainable Livelihood initiative, 25 (15 women) community leaders, ICH bearers and practitioners from the 5 pilot World Heritage sites of Chishui and Songtao, Guizhou Province, Wolong of Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries, Shilin, Yunnan Province and Quanzhou, Fujian Province participated in the workshop.
The Living Heritage for Rural Revitalization workshop series has enhanced capacities of 40 community leaders, including living heritage bearers and business-owners, left-behind women and people from relocated settlement, from Songtao, Shilin, Chishui and Wolong, on heritage safeguarding and creative product design.
This year, building upon fruitful outcomes from the previous workshops and continuing demand from the trainees, the workshop highlights the important theme of intellectual property rights protection and brand operation, which are key in ensuring the sustainability of creative cultural product development and the long-term development of traditional crafts and the transmission of living heritage.
To address these subjects, the workshop invites a team of expert facilitators from Nanjing University, Jiangnan University, Soochow University and Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications to deliver a series of lectures on intellectual property, brand development and management. Participants also undertake field visits to institutions that have an established foundation and influence for creative living heritage brands, including multiple museums in Suzhou, Su Embroidery Master ZOU Yingzi’s studio, Pingjiang Historic District, and Eslite Bookstore, through which they gain an immersive experience in living heritage brand operations.
For the 25 trainees, the workshop is only the beginning of the capacity enhancement process. After returning to their hometown, the workshop will continue mentoring the trainees and help them prepare intellectual property declaration forms. They will integrate the knowledge learned from the workshop and their field visit experiences to work with ICH bearers and practitioners in their communities to reinforce intellectual property rights protection during product development, establish a unique brand image, and enhance the value and market competitiveness of their ICH products. These concept adaptations from the workshop will also enhance the brand development of the living heritage handicraft industry, and facilitate rural revitalization and sustainable development in World Heritage sites.
