12 GUIDANCE FOR CLIENTS ARCHAEOLOGY AND SOCIAL VALUE Social benefits can be closely linked to the historic environment, in particular benefits for individuals through learning and development and the opportunity to acquire new skills (such as volunteering). Community strength and cultural identity can be enhanced by contact with the historic environment through community heritage projects. These projects can engage diverse groups of people – from refugee groups to homeless people, young offenders and injured service personnel – offering new skills, confidence, the opportunity to become an active citizen and to connect with a shared human past. Engaging with the historic environment can make a significant contribution to community wellbeing and promote social and human capital, leading to improvement in health, wealth and education. A professional archaeologist can tell you how to approach the investigation of the historic environment to bring the widest public benefit. Examples of projects showcasing a range of ways in which public benefit can be delivered are on our website at https://bit.ly/3v9pttq. Engaging with professional archaeologists offers the opportunity for such organisations to demonstrate ▪ the value they place on ethics and integrity – professional archaeologists are bound by a code of conduct ▪ their respect for the environment – professional archaeologists know what is best for the historic environment ▪ responsible business conduct – many professional archaeological organisations are local and small businesses ▪ a contribution to training and capacity building – professional archaeologists have a strong training ethos and commitment to workplace learning The preceding pages indicate how professional archaeologists can help clients meet many of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), notably ▪ SDG3 Good health and well-being ▪ SDG4 Inclusive and quality education for all and promoting lifelong learning ▪ SDG5 Gender equality and empowerment for all women and girls ▪ SDG8 Sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment for all ▪ SDG9 Resilient infrastructure, innovation ▪ SDG11 Inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable cities and settlements ▪ SDG12 Sustainable consumption and production ▪ SDG13 Climate action Educating young enthusiasts on-site (Photo: Oxford Archaeology)
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