Twinned for learning: Heritage, climate and the next generation
A new blog by ‘Withstanding Change’ Project Officer Jacqui Sealy
In September 2025 INTO welcomed a delegation from the Petra National Trust (PNT) to the UK, as part of the ‘Withstanding Change’: Heritage Amongst Climate Uncertainty project. This exchange, supported by the British Council’s Cultural Protection Fund, marked a significant milestone in the twinning programme between PNT and the National Trust’s Coleshill and Buscot Estate.
Over five days, the PNT team immersed themselves in British heritage, visiting National Trust sites: Brownsea Island, Kingston Lacy, Avebury Manor, and two focused days at Coleshill. The visit was designed to foster deeper collaboration, share operational insights, and explore innovative approaches to conservation and community . Whilst the PNT has expertise in engaging young people about conservation, heritage and climate change, it is keen to collaborate with others to broaden its understanding of these areas and develop new skills.
Strengthening the twinning partnership
The relationship between Petra National Trust and Coleshill and Buscot Estate has grown steadily through the ‘Withstanding Change’ project. This visit provided an opportunity to build on previous virtual exchanges and collaborative planning.
At Coleshill, the PNT team participated in youth-focused activities such as copper chasing with a local branch of the National Saturday Club, and river studies sessions with a nearby secondary school. Discussions centred on future joint initiatives. These include a virtual exchange between British and Jordanian students, and collaborative learning materials in Arabic and English.
These efforts aim to strengthen strategic planning and deepen the impact of heritage educational work in both Jordan and the UK.
From climate change to conservation to programme development, we are all going through the exact same problems. Being part of a network that can facilitate access to solutions has been a fantastic opportunity
Shared challenges, shared solutions
Throughout the visit, PNT delegates met with site managers and teams across the National Trust, exchanging ideas on climate resilience, conservation, education, and fundraising. The experience highlighted both the differences and commonalities in heritage management across contexts and underscored the value of international collaboration.
Meeting the dedicated property managers and their teams, and listening to them share their knowledge, experiences, aspirations, challenges, and visions for the future, was truly inspiring. As they spoke, I found myself constantly making connections to my own background and to our field of work in Jordan
Visiting Brownsea Island, recording a podcast at Kingston Lacy, meeting the team in person at Buscot and Coleshill and participating in copper chasing and river dipping on the Buscot Estate
Looking ahead
The exchange has laid the groundwork for continued partnership between PNT and the National Trust, with exciting plans for joint programming, volunteer engagement, and educational initiatives. It also opened doors to new collaborations with the University of Bath, UK and Hashemite University, Jordan.
Katherine Grayson, Children and Young People’s Lead from the National Trust, is hoping to travel to Jordan in the future, as it became clear that there are similarities between the work of PNT and the National Trust on youth engagement. Katherine and Muhsen Albawab, the ‘Withstanding Change’ project lead, initially connected through INTO’s Heritage Leaders programme earlier this year. They hope to further develop their relationship; to share knowledge between team members in both organisations responsible for engaging children and young people.
Katherine said, ‘I was particularly struck by how the Withstanding Change programme focuses holistically on both climate adaptation and community engagement, and in fact sees them very much as two sides of the same coin. It reminded me of the importance to collaborate across our organisation, seeing beyond directorates and how connected our strategic goals of Restore Nature, Inspire and End Unequal Access really are.’
The PNT team is already in contact with the teams from Brownsea Island and the Buscot and Coleshill estates, working on developing different exchange programmes for children and young people in those locations. From an operational perspective, PNT has been inspired by the planning processes of the National Trust sites they visited and will be working on developing ‘Spirit of Place’ documents for their own places, to help promote their specific identities. They also plan to utilise different internal planning sessions to reach more Jordanians with their educational and cultural activities.
The programme gave me the opportunity to explore outstanding models of heritage management, such as Brownsea Island and Kingston Lacy, where I learned how cultural and natural heritage can be preserved while also adapting to climate change. At Buscot and Coleshill, I was particularly inspired by the youth engagement and traditional crafts programmes
Stay tuned!
Following this visit, we welcomed colleagues from Ethiopia at the end of September, and we’ll share their stories in an upcoming blog. These exchanges conclude the current ‘Withstanding Change’ twinning programme, but we’re excited to plan similar trips in the future.
Look out for the upcoming podcast to be released on 10 December, where you can hear directly from the people behind the exchange as they discuss their experiences, lessons learned and how they are shaping the future of heritage in a changing climate.
The most interesting aspect of the visit is the valuable insights into the NT's volunteer strategy, which I will ensure is developed, integrated, and implemented at PNT, year-ahead operational planning, and diverse management approaches, as well as the potential of integrating natural heritage into educational programs. I'm very thankful for the efforts of the team who helped organize this exchange.
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