Kids in Museums announces national Museum Youth Summit

Charity Kids in Museums has revealed its plans for an exciting new event about the future of museums and heritage designed and delivered by young people, for young people. Here’s how you can get involved in the event.

Kids in Museums announces national Museum Youth Summit

The Future is Now: Museum Youth Summit

Thinktank, Birmingham Science Museum

Friday 12 May 2023, 11am – 4pm

Young people across the UK will be invited to attend this one-day event, which is being planned and led by the Kids in Museums Youth Panel (aged 16-25). The Future is Now will take place on Friday 12 May at Thinktank, Birmingham Science Museum.

Research from DCMS and Morris Hargreaves McIntyre shows that only 12% of 16-24 year olds felt London museums told stories that were relevant to them. There is a huge need to consult young people about what they want from museums in order to change perceptions.

Kids in Museums wants to create a space where young people can discuss, learn, advocate and build new networks with their peers. Their voices will be heard on a national level and generate fresh new ideas for the heritage sector. The event will include discussions of current best practice in work with young people, panel discussions about the future of young people’s work in museums – and of course, plenty of coffee breaks and crafts! The results of young people’s discussions will be fed back to the sector by Kids in Museums and form the core of their advocacy for young people in museums.

The Youth Summit has been made possible by an £11k Movement for Good Award from Benefact Group. Kids in Museums was chosen by a panel of judges to receive a share of £500,000 as part of Benefact Group’s Movement for Good Awards, which is giving over £1million to good causes this year.

Booking for the event will open in March. 

Today Kids in Museums opens its Call for Speakers and Panellists. The charity is inviting proposals for 15-minute presentations that cover best practice in work with young people in museums, including on the topics of the climate and ecological emergency, anti-racist practice, cost of living crisis, overcoming barriers to accessing museums or any other relevant subjects to young people and museums. All presentations must involve a young person under the age of 25. They are also looking for panellists to be part of a discussion chaired by a member of the Kids in Museums Youth Panel about what young people want from the museums of the future. To submit a proposal for a case study presentation or to apply to be a panellist, visit the Kids in Museums website: www.kidsinmuseums.org.uk The deadline for submissions is Tuesday 28 February at 5pm.

In the lead up to the event, the Kids in Museums Youth Panel will be releasing their very own podcast, Life at the Museum. In a series of future-focused conversations, Youth Panel members aim to bridge the gap between young people and old institutions, talking everything from career tips to climate activism. What can museums offer young people today and how can they shake things up? Stay tuned for the first episode in March.

The Youth Panel is currently recruiting new members. Those aged 16 to 25 who are interested in getting involved in this and other exciting projects, can find out more on the Kids in Museums website: www.kidsinmuseums.org.uk/vacancies Applications close on Friday 10 February at 5pm.

This month Kids in Museums has also announced its programme dates for 2023, including its annual Family Friendly Museum Award and two Takeover Day events on the theme, Let’s Play! A new award category, Best Youth Project – Climate, has been introduced to recognise innovative and thoughtful projects engaging young people on the topic of the climate emergency and sustainability. Full details can be found on the Kids in Museums website: www.kidsinmuseums.org.uk

Header Image Credit: Image: Young people debate climate change in the courtroom of the National Justice Museum in Nottingham on Takeover Day 2021. Photo by George Archer for Kids in Museums.

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