The 5th grade of Heikka School learning archaeology. Pic: Lassi Puhtimäki
The Dig It! Archaeology Initiative form of funding is intended to promote schoolchildren’s interest in scientific research methods, history in general, and their own local history by creating opportunities for the students to take part in archaeological activities in their local area. The projects are implemented in cooperation with a local school or schools. Pedagogically well-planned archaeological activities are ideally suited for phenomenon-based learning as set out in the Finnish curriculum as well as for learning outside the classroom. The projects should primarily focus on children and the youth, but they may also be extended to reach the broader local community.
Grant Application Schedule
The Dig It! Archaeology Initiative grant is open for application in the October application round. Applications close at 4 pm Finnish time (EET) on the last day of the application period.
Eligible Applicants
Archaeologists, working groups run by archaeologists and registered cultural heritage organisations, including museums and archaeological societies, are eligible to apply for Dig It! funding. All projects must be led by an archaeologist with a minimum of a Master’s degree in the subject, preferably with experience of community archaeology projects, community excavations, or both. Additional members can be invited onto the working groups to contribute further pedagogical and other relevant expertise as needed. The project leader is responsible for liaising with the participating schools. Schools themselves cannot directly apply for the funding or manage a project.
The Dig It! Inititave checklist and the summary of a report surveying the user experiences of the project model by Archaeologist Tuuli Ravantti can be found here.
Grant Purpose
The Dig It! Archaeology Initiative grant is intended to be applied for work, project-related expenses or both together. A single grant can range from EUR 5,000 to EUR 30,000.
The project should introduce schoolchildren to archaeology and prepare the participants for the upcoming work in advance. The site must be a genuine archaeological excavation site. The advised duration for an actual research period is approx. one week, but one grant project may consist of several research periods participated by various student groups. After the research period, the findings should be processed together with the children, and the results should also be presented in a way that is suitable for the project with wider audience in mind (e.g. local media, project web site, school blog and/or social media). The project may also include events for adults, such as community excavations.
The following (points/factors) are taken into consideration when assessing the projects:
- Quality of educational content, with regard to preparation, delivery, and post-project follow-up
- Meticulous schedule of work and budgeting of the project
- Archaelogical relevance and appeal to target audience
- Knowledge of community archaeology demonstrated by the project
- Communications strategy in place for project participants and the general public
How to Apply
The application is submitted on the Online Application Service during the October application period. This special target grant can be selected in the Grant Type menu on the Application page of the application form.
The project plan must detail the number of participating children or youth aimed for and clearly describe how the in-advance orientation, the archaeological research period, and the subsequent reflection based on the experiences of the participants will be carried out and how much time will be used for each phase.
The required attachments to be appended in the application are listed in the application guidelines. When the grant is being applied for expenses, the budget must be submitted as a separate attachment in accordance with the guidelines.
Further information about Dig It! archaeology initiative:
