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Creating a positive culture with young consultants Steve Gardam, LTM Head of Live Programmes
The context
Stories of the World at LTM
SOTW completely about young people? Not in 2009! Communities, collections, digital, partners… and young people Participation = personal focus for me Broad but vague support What’s the goal? Increase number of visits by young people? LTM is a charging museum… from 16 years old. How was this going to work?
The family tree
There was a (sort of) plan…
Young Consultants! Parent = Street Genius project at IWM Grandparent = SHCL at ThinkTank Great Grandparent = New York Hall of Science
Paid for time = small team Paid for time = ease of access Paid for time = professional culture
The early days
Getting to know each other
Explaining SOTW and the museum Answering every question THOROUGHLY Making young people visible (staff training) Matchmaker/Translator
Then… specific Young Consultant projects Increasing ownership of work Switching from Saturdays, to see more and be seen more
The key moments
When it felt like things shifted
First exhibition focus groups in 2010 SOTW focus in 2011-12 on young people and exhibition Young Consultants = peer mentors to volunteers Volunteer programme = making participation public New Young Consultants Spoken Word at SOTW exhibition launch
Where we are now
SOTW is dead, long live…
Young Advisors, working across museum projects NEW Young Consultants for Tube150 Plans for more volunteers, apprentices Young People’s Advisory Service Young People’s programme
What staff have said
“How the exhibition worked so closely with the young people and getting people to participate in a much more genuine way has been an eye opener internally. It has built people’s confidence in being a bit more experimental.”
“Working with young people has been a breath of fresh air in terms of how we approach and deliver our activities. It has also invited greater reflection on what and how we can achieve”.
What young people have said
“Working with the museum has really opened up my mind so much, I want to work with young people, do this whole poetry stuff, community based stuff and that’s what I think a museum is, when I think of a museum I think community”.
The BIG lessons
Take your time Work towards something BIG… … but create victories on the way Young people should be seen AND heard Bridge gaps in understanding Make everything a win-win-win
