At the CBA, we are committed to championing archaeology and ensuring its value is recognised at the highest levels. Our advocacy work supports community involvement, education, and the promotion of archaeology within the UK's legislative framework.
We believe archaeology is not just about understanding the past—it's about shaping the future.
Our Advocacy Priorities:
We emphasise the positive societal impacts of archaeology, highlighting how it has the ability to foster community cohesion, encourage environmental sustainability, and enhance public understanding of our shared history and heritage. All of our following priorities work towards highlighting the public benefit of archaeology.
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Grassroots Archaeology and Participation. We aim to champion the voices of local communities, volunteers, and enthusiasts in shaping the future of archaeology. Through our advocacy, we aim to help ensure that grassroots archaeology is recognised and supported at all levels. We are currently strengthening and understanding our network to become a stronger voice for grassroots archaeologists and our network through our Reconnecting Archaeology project.
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Maintaining the Role of Archaeology and Heritage in the Planning System. Our advocacy work helps safeguard the planning system’s role in promoting archaeological heritage across the UK. We work actively through our Buildings Archaeology Casework to ensure that the planning framework continues to consider the significance of archaeological sites and landscapes, and to promote sustainable adaptive reuse. As one of the National Amenity Societies with a statutory role in the planning system we collaborate with our colleagues as the Joint Committee of National Amenity Societies (JCNAS).
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Engaging Young People and Promoting Representation in Education.
Our advocacy promotes the inclusion of archaeology in educational initiatives and youth engagement programs like the Young Archaeologists’ Club (YAC). We aim to help inspire young people to discover archaeology’s relevance and potential, and to steer the representation of archaeology in education. Our aims are to promote discovery and engagement in archaeology, as well as using it as a tool for young people's well-being. -
Archaeology in Government Decision Making.
We work closely with stakeholders across the heritage and environmental sectors to promote archaeological interests in government decisions.
Cross-Sector Collaboration
We believe that effective advocacy requires collaboration. The CBA works with partners across the heritage, environmental, and planning sectors to strengthen the position of archaeology in national and local decision-making. This cross-sector approach enables us to advocate for positive changes and improvements that benefit the entire archaeological community.
The CBA actively participates in various advocacy and collaborative heritage groups, working together to form a united voice that champions both heritage and archaeology. Through these partnerships, we strengthen our collective impact on promoting the UK’s archaeology.
Get Involved
Whether you are a professional archaeologist, a community volunteer, or simply passionate about heritage, you can help us advocate for archaeology. Join us in our efforts to make a difference for the future of archaeology.
Become a member of the CBA
Attend special events featuring world leading archaeologists, receive exclusive access to member only content, benefit from discounts on high end archaeology clothing and equipment, and much more.
Help us to get more people active in archaeology
Together we can create more opportunities for people of all ages to participate in archaeology, and care and campaign for our historic environment. But we need your help.
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