Taalim-Forum Public Foundation conducted series of research under the project "Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) Contribution to the SDGs - Education and Community Development", initiated and supported by the International Research Center for Intangible Cultural Heritage in Asia and the Pacific (IRCI, https://www.irci.jp/). The project was launched in 2020 to study the links between ICH, education and community development and to identify the role of ICH in achieving SDGs 4 (Quality Education) and 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities).

The first phase of the study focused on the knowledge and skills of Kyrgyz yurt (boz üy) and related knowledge and skills, including making felt carpets (shyrdaks), patterned weaving (terme), passing on the skills of traditional hunting and the culture associated with it to new generations. Four local communities, called "visionary" in the study, were studied during the research.

The objectives of the study included exploring the mechanism of knowledge transfer through learning, considering the relationship of ICH conservation to the principles of sustainable community development. Despite the multitasking nature of the research, the target element of the study was the culture associated with the yurt, which has accompanied Kyrgyz and Kazakh nomads from birth to death, reflecting the unity and balance of spiritual and material values.

The results of the research entitled "Local Visionary Communities in the Promotion of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Kyrgyzstan" were presented at the International Symposium (online) in 2020 in Tokyo.

The materials of the Symposium can be found at the following link 

The presentation is available at the following link

In partnership with the American University of Central Asia, an International Conference on the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage through Education was held in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan on November 26, 2021. 

Click here to read the conference program. 

The next phase of ICH research included an examination of local community museums, looking at their role in the safeguarding of ICH and their contribution to education and sustainable community development.

The results of the study, entitled "The Changing Role of Community Museums in the Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage: Case Studies from Kyrgyzstan" were presented at the International ICH Symposium in Japan (online). 

More information about the Symposium can be found here 

Presentation is available here.

A full version of the research report is available here