In the following activity students will debate topics concerning heritage restoration, and put them into a larger context exploring the contemporary paradigms surrounding heritage conservation. Students will understand some of the controversy surrounding heritage restoration and conservation.

YOUR PROJECT:

Break up into groups of four or five. Individually study the Measured Drawings site about the Ozeroff Doukhobor Village. Take a few rough notes and become familiar with the buildings and the layout and structure of the site. You will learn from your reading that the site has never been restored.

The two groups will do a mock debate stating their restoration proposal, and the philosophical and economic reasons for the restoration they propose. The two groups will present their reasons for wanting the project to be developed their way. At the end of the debate the rest of the class will take on the role of the municipal planners. They will listen to both sides of the debate and then vote by secret ballot to decide the fate of the Ozeroff Village.

Group 1:

You are a group of local developers who want to turn the old Ozeroff Village site into a tourist attraction, to showcase certain aspects of the Doukhobor history, however that will involve renovating the old buildings to be tourist facilities such as restaurants, hotels, etc.

You are members of the local community who have formed a development company and you have ties to the old village; some of you are of Doukhobor descent, and even had relatives who lived in the Ozeroff Village. You feel that the most economical way to preserve the place would be to develop a first-class tourist centre. People could stay in a hotel that was once a communal Doukhobor house or shop in a gift-shop that was once an old barn. That way steady revenue will continue to come into the community. The community wouldn't have to rely so much on government grants and subsidies and they could decide what they wanted to do with the old buildings.

Besides this, your group would like to add extra building and architectural features to the site. You have hired an architect and these new features would be in the style of the old buildings. You have a group of investors ready and willing to contribute money to the project.

Group 2:

You are a community group of preservationists who feel that the Ozeroff Village should be restored to its original condition. Your group would like to restore the buildings and artifacts to their original condition and turn the site into a Heritage Site. But it will take a lot of money, support and funding from several groups and government organisations. You are trying to organise these groups and bring them together. You think the original buildings should be preserved the way they were, and the Ozeroff Village should be recreated as authentically as possible.

• Include in research the provincial and federal sources of funding.
  
• Apply to the trust to do a feasability study--website. Where?
  
• Find out who owns The Ozeroff Village now?
  
• Find out who in government funds preservation.
  
• Describe how many people would be employed at the site.
  
• Describe the long-term effects on the community from a cultural point of view.

Take a look at the way the Friends of the Wells Community Hall is going about raising money to restore their community hall.

Tips for Debating