Welcoming ITP 2025 Fellows (Fernando Astudillo, Ecuador, ITP 2025)

Written by Fernando Astudillo, Anthropology Professor, Universidad San Francisco de Quito (Ecuador, ITP 2025)

Today marked our inaugural day at the British Museum’s International Training Programme (ITP) 2025. My fellow participants and I were filled with enthusiasm as we embarked on this remarkable opportunity by sharing ideas and dreams while expanding our international networks. This year, we are a diverse group of professionals from Brazil, Sri Lanka, Cyprus, Ecuador, Egypt, Iraq, Colombia, New Zealand, India, Hawaii, Syria, China, Oman, Thailand, Ukraine, Türkiye, Iran, Vietnam, and Rwanda.

We began the day with a warm welcome and programme introduction from the ITP team: Claire Messenger, George Peckham, and Amelia Kedge together with this year’s Senior Fellow, Chantal Umuhoza. They outlined the programme’s aims and objectives, tracing its evolution and impact since its founding in 2004. The team emphasised the ITP’s mission of fostering collaboration among museum and exhibition professionals. They also highlighted the mutual benefits of this partnership—how both the British Museum and its national and international participants gain from shared expertise

Following these remarks, the Museum’s Director, Nicholas Cullinan, delivered an inspiring session. He posed thought-provoking questions and led an engaging Q&A session on the themes of collections and inter‑institutional collaboration. His welcoming remarks set a collaborative tone for the programme and motivated us to engage fully with the activities ahead.

After the introductory sessions, we embarked on a guided tour of the British Museum. We explored its history and listening detailed explanations of some iconic objects across the galleries, including a recreated eighteenth‑century “cabinet of curiosities”—reflective of early natural history exhibitions.

During lunch, we were introduced to the keepers and staff of our assigned department. In small group sessions, we learned about their work managing and conserving collections and objects from various regions of the world. We also met professionals dedicated to safeguarding endangered heritage abroad. This informal meeting provided valuable insight into the goals and challenges of those working across different cultural contexts. Our day concluded with an ice‑breaker exercise designed to help us connect with one of our fellow participants. We were also briefed on the practical components of the programme, including the Object in focus exercise.

Having completed our first day, we are all filled with hope and ambition. This year’s cohort is eager to seize this once‑in‑a‑lifetime chance to advance our careers in research, heritage conservation, and museum practice. We look forward to the weeks ahead learning, sharing, and forging lasting bonds that will help shape museums and exhibitions in our countries.