Tool-kit for working with young people in museums © Mike Scott © Mike Inspired by Scotland Creates: A Sense of Place, a project supported by Toolkit at a glance Young people from the Scotland Creates project team This Toolkit contains 1. Hints & Tips information, hints and tips on 2. What is Scotland Creates: working with young people in A Sense of Place? museums. 3. Working with young adults It draws on the experience of a 4. Creative partners and young two year national project, Scotland adults Creates: A Sense of Place led by the National Museum of Scotland. This 5. Museum objects as project shows how museums can inspiration provide young adults with positive 6. Scotland Creates: A Sense of personal, cultural and learning Place case studies from: experiences, develop their creativity • The Dick Institute, East and improve their life skills. Ayrshire Council Staff from four museums across Scotland worked with National • Museum nan Eilean, Museums Scotland, creative Benbecula and Stornoway, organisations and young adults, to Comhairle nan Eilean Siar create dynamic gallery interventions • The McLean Museum & and exhibitions. Art Gallery, Inverclyde Council To find out more about Scotland Creates: A Sense of Place see • The National Museum of www.nms.ac.uk/scotlandcreates Scotland, Edinburgh • The McManus: Dundee’s Art Gallery & Museum 7. Engaging vulnerable young people Scotland Creates: A Sense of Place exhibition at National Museum of Scotland 1. Hints & Tips Young people attending the Legacy of Lace opening event How do you recruit and retain food. Some young people don’t Shout about it young adults? like to eat in front of others. Do not Don’t wait until the final outcome Be clear about what you can offer assume ‘buy cake, they will come’ of your project or activity to tell your young people: what will they when working with young people. people what you are doing. Ask your get out of working with you? Use ASK them what (and when) they like young people to write a Blog, post on targeted approaches to youth to eat. Be prepared to use petty cash Facebook, tweet on Twitter, upload theatre groups, volunteer centres or so they can buy their own food for photos on Flickr or wherever they creative subject teachers. Word of meetings. are comfortable communicating. mouth is good: flyers and posters in Scotland Creates young adults public spaces can be less successful. Establish mutual respect blogged, wrote Object of the Month Agree what it is that you want web content and made digital films They are NOT all the same to do, together – and stick to it. about their local museum and posted We struggled to find a way of Keep your project plan or activity these online as part of a ‘viral’ describing the 16-24 age range. The simple, informal and achievable. marketing campaign. Scotland Creates participants told Milestones or targets help everyone us: ‘Don’t call us young people!’ So, look forward to the next step and bit.ly/scotlandcreatesblog we use ‘young people’ and ‘young back to see what’s been achieved. If www.nms.ac.uk/museumvirals adults’ interchangeably in this something goes wrong or cannot be Toolkit. Ask your participants what achieved – be honest, explain why, they want to be called, how they talk it through and learn from the want to define themselves. experience. …it’s not all about cake! A friendly face Opinion is divided on this. Some If it is possible, have the same people have run very successful friendly person (or people) youth engagement projects where facilitating for the duration of the regular intake of cake was vital, or project or activity. It makes a big going for pizza to celebrate the end difference to the dynamics and flow of a project. Some young people of the project and encourages the have special dietary requirements, young people to stick with it. allergies or conditions that can be aggravated by the wrong sort of Scotland Creates digital film workshop 2. What is Scotland Creates: A Sense of Place? Museum Takeover Day ‘Flashmob’ at National Museum of Scotland A two year, national project • A collaborative creative response involving young people, creative to national and local museum organisations and five partner collections, taking the theme museums across Scotland: ‘Sense of Place’ to create gallery interventions, exhibitions, dance, 1. The Dick Institute, East Ayrshire music and films with a local Council connection. 2. Museum nan Eilean, Benbecula • An opportunity for the partner and Stornoway, Comhairle nan museums to learn from each Eilean Siar other, working with young adults, 3. The McLean Museum & Art to re-interpret their collections. Gallery, Inverclyde Council • A unique partnership project 4. The National Museum of generously supported by the Scotland, Edinburgh Esmée Fairbairn Foundation and Creative Scotland that increased 5. The McManus: Dundee’s Art capacity across the partner Gallery & Museum museums. For more information go to Gallery intervention at National Museum www.nms.ac.uk/scotlandcreates of Scotland 3. Working with young adults Greenock Wanderers Under 16 rugby team How do you find and Start by thinking about what they will • made direct contact with reach young adults? gain from being involved, e.g. creative subject teachers (e.g. art, drama, dance, music), youth • new skills and experience to help leaders and other facilitators If you have never worked with them find jobs. at local secondary schools, art young adults in your museum • social aspect – meeting and centres, theatre groups, groups before, this is the first question making new friends. for excluded pupils and staff at you will ask. • personal development, building local colleges. “Young people are entering an self-confidence. • put information on Facebook increasingly competitive labour • creative outlet. and other social media with a market and it is more important named contact at the museum – than ever that they can compete Include these in your project aims young adults are not necessarily by having the necessary skills and and in your communication with using these sites but parents, experience to find and sustain young people. teachers, youth workers will pass information on. employment.” (Impact Arts, Working For Scotland Creates, we: with Young People) • contacted local volunteer centres Do not be discouraged if, at that support young adults to first, you don’t succeed OR if gain practical experience before you attract small numbers. moving into work or further study. • emailed museum staff, colleagues in other organisations or local authority to raise awareness of the project and opportunities for young people. • contacted young people already or previously involved with us. Word of mouth is often a very successful way of reaching new contacts. Participants visit the museum store 3. Working with young adults Greenock Wanderers Under 16 rugby team Your second question will understanding different personality Getting out and about probably be: how do I motivate types. Play to the strengths across and retain them? the group. Unless your young participants live within walking distance of your “Groups work best when there is a Some things that can help are: museum, they will probably need mixture of personalities, abilities, to travel to you by public transport. genders, ethnicities and individual • have a consistent, key contact You may also want to take them or experiences.” (Impact Arts, Working person throughout the project: send them to look at other museums, with Young People) participants get to know who galleries or places of inspiration and they are going to work with each interest. Involve young people in the planning time they meet. and development of the project. At • have a structure: plan workshops Do not assume that all participants the National Museum of Scotland, and activities so that the are confident, independent travellers young people were part of the participants know what they are or are even familiar with their recruitment process for the Scotland going to be doing, when and own town or city. Support them Creates Project Officer and also where. by planning ahead, involve them interviewed animators for our film in decisions about how to travel, • allow enough time for discussion project. checking timetables and buying and group consensus: remember, tickets. They may need or want some young people may not Create a safe, supportive and someone to travel with them, e.g. have taken part in formal positive learning experience and a friend, parent, guardian or other meetings or discussions before environment. All ideas should be adult. and may not be used to being welcomed and participants not asked their opinion. judged or compared. Everyone can learn from other participants’ ideas, experience and suggestions. No one person should dominate the group sessions (and this includes the facilitator!), everyone should have a chance to be heard. This requires skilful management, diplomacy and Group visit to The Roslin Institute 4. Creative partners and © Mike Scott © Mike young adults East Ayrshire Youth Theatre with Scottish Ballet Having a creative partner in They researched animators and with • Scottish Ballet dance workshops place from the outset can be help from museum staff, organised a with young rugby players an added attractor for young tendering process. One of the young inspired by Clyde Pottery objects people joining or staying with adults was on the interview panel for for the McLean Museum and Art your project. the selection of the animator, asking Gallery, Greenock specific questions on behalf of the • Scottish Ballet dance workshops young volunteers. Scotland Creates: A Sense of Place with the local youth theatre was funded by the Esmée Fairbairn group, inspired by Ayrshire Creative input to Scotland Creates Foundation and Creative Scotland, lace production, for The Dick included: with the specific aim of working Institute, Kilmarnock in partnership across museums, • film-making workshops at The with young adults and creative McManus: Dundee’s Art Gallery organisations.