The People’s Parish aims to:

• Involve all of Scotland’s 871 parishes
• Bring together local activists and organisations
• Encourage participation in community life
• Inspire new forms of mapping
• Gather and give voice to songs, stories, dances, traditions, visuals, histories and fictions
• Facilitate digital representation of local culture and access to it
• Create a resource for generations to come.

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TRACS (Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland) is delighted to be assisting Creative Scotland and other partners in delivering another cycle of Traditional Arts Mentoring during 2023-24.

This programme supports the professional and personal development of Traditional Arts practitioners in Scotland. It also engages with the growing recognition of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Scotland, including local traditions, languages, and the contribution of New Scots from diverse cultures.

• The perfect starting point for teachers, educators and youth group leaders to utilise traditional arts
• Pick and choose which elements of the multimedia resource suit your situation
• Materials easily catered for different ages
• Enhanced engagement and enjoyment

Scotland’s traditional arts scene cannot be underestimated in its variety and vibrancy.

But it’s vitally important that we don’t become complacent in assuming it will be transferred automatically to the next generation.

The oral tradition and intergenerational passing on of songs and stories are in decline in our ever-increasing digital world.

However, this presents new opportunities to engage larger audiences with traditional arts through digital mediums for future generations.

What songs, stories, dance steps & seasonal customs should every child in Scotland know?

This was question which sparked the Gifting Every Child project, curated by storyteller Bea Ferguson, singer Christina Stewart and dancer Mats Melin on behalf of TRACS.

At a time where evidence of creativity in the classroom is being given a significant push – not simply as an aid to pass exams, but as a key skill benefiting children’s confidence – Gifting Every Child provides a perfect starting point for teachers, educators and youth group leaders to engage with the traditional arts, learning in fresh and innovative ways.

TRACS, along with Museums Galleries Scotland, Historic Environment Scotland and Creative Scotland, commissioned a report on where Scotland currently stands with regard to Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH), the UNESCO designation for ‘the practices, expressions, knowledge and skills that communities, groups and sometimes individuals recognise as part of their cultural heritage – oral traditions; performing arts; social practices, rituals and festive events; knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe; and traditional craftsmanship’.

The report was researched, compiled and written by Steve Byrne of Local Voices CIC. It is a comprehensive overview of the field, and its organisations and issues and makes a number or recommendations on recording and preserving ICH in Scotland.