How do you spark the interest of a foreign visitor unmoved by history when the place you’re showing doesn’t boast the usual tourist attractions? How do you tell a story that connects the past and the present, so that it both accurately represents Serbia’s cultural heritage and keeps your audience genuinely engaged? How can you place Serbia’s cultural heritage within the broader context of the Balkans — a region shaped by layers of influences, migrations, and exchanges — and help visitors recognize echoes of their own culture in it? In other words, how do you bridge the distance between here and there, then and now, turning even the most unassuming place into a meaningful experience that speaks to something universal?

Storytelling Cultural Heritage Program at the ARC: What is it about?

From January 16 through February 16, 2026, the American Resource Center (ARC) will host a series of free workshops titled Storytelling Cultural Heritage. Participants will be divided into two groups: beginners, who have no prior experience working with foreign visitors, and intermediate participants, who already have some experience in this area. Each group will attend five workshop sessions, taking place once a week.

The goal of these workshops is to use a participatory approach to explore how Serbia can be presented as a compelling destination for cultural exploration, leisure, and investment. The workshops will emphasize that attracting visitors goes beyond showcasing landmarks—it involves telling Serbia’s story in a way that resonates with global audiences, sparks curiosity, and fosters long-term interest and collaboration.

What do we mean by a participatory approach to learning?

In this context, the “lecturer” acts more as a facilitator than a traditional instructor. The philosophical foundation of this approach stems from the ideas of French philosopher Jacques Rancière and his concept of the ignorant schoolmaster—a teacher who encourages students to think for themselves, rather than relying on authority to explain the world. The ignorant schoolmaster refuses to dominate through knowledge and instead frees others to think independently. Therefore, learning and knowledge-sharing are most effective when the approach is relational and participatory—when the teacher is also a learner.

What does this mean for the ARC’s Storytelling Cultural Heritage program?

It means that each of us can tell a story in our own ways that can be both entertaining and educational (the only common ground we must agree upon is that facts must be empirically verifiable, even when their interpretations differ). Storytelling Cultural Heritage will bring together individuals who, in various capacities, work or wish to work with foreign visitors—those who want to learn, teach, or share their perspective on how to effectively present Serbia’s cultural, tangible and intangible, heritage along with its contemporary culture and everyday life. Every participant will have the opportunity to share their own view of what they believe foreign visitors find interesting, and what they might find interesting when presented through a thoughtful storytelling approach. The guiding principle of the workshops is simple: What is interesting to me is not necessarily interesting to others—but if presented in a way tailored to the audience, others might find it interesting.

The language of the program is English.