The Mission and the Method
Our opponents: Blow things up. Bribe officials to break the law. Participate in artifact looting. Bulldoze down the beautiful things to build something ugly, for profit.
They generally have: Money. Political connections. No Scruples.
Local activists and ordinary people face an uphill struggle, trying to protect a beloved piece of their history or culture against a superior force. We are here to make things just a little bit more equal.
We have strategists, including actual military strategists; they don’t blink easily.
We have engineers who can say, no actually you DON’T have to choose between your irreplaceable heritage site and the income
from a copper mine – it might be a little harder and your profits might be a little smaller,
but if you do it the right way, you can have both.
We have lawyers who work with us pro bono, because they care about culture and civilization and helping locals protect what is theirs. We have economists who can help develop heritage preservation strategies or assist an archeology project to pay for its own rescue.
We have political scientists, archaeologists, historians, geographers, graphic designers, artists, and more on our team.
We share a common purpose – where local people are trying to protect or rebuild something of value, and have gotten stuck, we put our shoulders to the wheel.
OUR THREE GOALS:
DEFEND and RESTORE
cultural treasures and monuments threatened or destroyed by violence and war, such as the Bamiyan Buddhas.
WORK WITH
our fellow cultural activists including and especially in areas of crisis – poets, artists, writers and ordinary citizens who share our purpose. Work with volunteers preserving Pavlopetri.
ENCOURAGE
stories and historical narratives that emphasize creative cultural achievements and universal values of civilization as a counter-force to chauvinism, sectarianism and hate. Support efforts such as Stand With Nineveh.
THE METHOD
HERE’S OUR SECRET PATENTED ACTION PLAN:
Once this information has been gathered and a plan is in place, we mobilize our forces and find partners and supporters. Implementation begins, and this inevitably generates new ideas and brings in new allies. It also mobilizes new opponents and new obstacles, but that’s just how it is. You have to stay focused, and you have to be creative.
Fortunately, it’s a. fun and b. totally worth the trouble and c. yes, you can win. Even if when you started, everyone told you that you didn’t stand a chance.
Keep in mind: These situations are often very complicated. Your biggest hurdle might not even be something reasonable or objective: It might be some individual who feels left out, some bureaucratic turf war you never would have thought of. Stay flexible. Stay friendly. Prefer inclusion and compromise.
Explore our global projects to see our method at work. Meet our leaders on the ground.