Year of creation: 2002
Domain(s):

- oral traditions and expressions
- social practices, rituals and festive events
- knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe
- traditional craftsmanship

Safeguarding measures:

- identification, documentation, research (including inventory-making)
- preservation, protection
- promotion, enhancement
- transmission, (non-)formal education
- revitalization

Main countries where active:

Belarus

Objectives:
The objectives of NYNGO “SEA” are:
- to preserve, develop and contribute to the continuity of the Belarusian authentic cultural traditions;
- to preserve and revive the environment of the traditional ethnic culture, the Belarusian natural and cultural landscape;
- to overcome spiritual crisis in modern Belarusian society on the basis of the values of the traditional culture.
NYNGO “SEA” considers the traditional ethnic culture – knowledge, beliefs, customs, morality and other forms of the spiritual and material heritage which were acquired by ethnos during the independent development on their land – to be the highest value which shall be passed on from one generation to another and shall be the basis for the development of society.
Activities:
SEA takes an active part in the identification, preservation, promotion, transmission and revitalization of the Belarusian intangible cultural heritage on national level.
SEA has organized more than 20 ethnographic expeditions to the regions of Belarus and to the regions of neighbouring countries inhabited by Belarusians since 1998.
Cooperation:
Having begun conducting ethnographic expeditions SEA members realized their unity with the traditional culture and its bearers rather than being observers from outside. It is due to this understanding that communication without cultural and age-dependent barriers in a spirit of mutual respect and concern with both elderly people and rural youth has been achieved.
ICH bearers and SEA are interested in each other. We gain knowledge that helps us form our world view. They realize their cultural heritage value and their importance as bearers and teachers.
As a rule our relations with the local community set up during expeditions may continue in the following forms: subsequent visits; exchanging the records and photos; participating in local festive events or initiating revitalization of such events; organizing handicraft workshop or summer camp. While contacting with local communities we try to find their leaders who are interested in their cultural heritage preservation. In this case usually long-time cooperation is established.
So regarding local communities and authorities SEA nowadays appears to be a representative of public opinion of the necessity to respect and safeguard ICH and an active social figure able to initiate and support certain measures in this direction. The organization often acts as a medium between local communities interested in ICH safeguarding and experts who can give advise on it, between local authorities and experts, and sometimes between local communities and local authorities in case of conflicts.
SEA gets help from local authorities in researches on their territories and shares recorded materials sometimes together with ICH analysis and recommendations on its support. Since 2011 SEA have been carrying out public presentations of ICH at regional workshops for cultural workers and public discussions on issues of local ICH.