Presentation slides from our 'Lighting the cauldron - Young people and cultural organisations' conference at the Museum of London, Thursday 25 October 2012. As part of the Cultural Olympiad, Arts Council England's Stories of the World programme transformed the opportunities open to young participants and challenged museums to make lasting change to how they operate by embedding young people at the heart of their decision-making. The conference brought together project partners, key thinkers and influencers from across the cultural sector to explore what has changed and how to take forward youth engagement and co-production. The conference explored what museums can learn from Stories of the world and how this learning can be applied to the wider cultural sector.

1. Lighting the cauldron
Sharing our stories #ypculture
Thursday 25 October, Museum of London
Welcome: Moira Sinclair, Arts Council England

2. Don’t put us in
a box:
Junction youth
panel’s top tips
to museums
Lucie Fitton, Senior Community Collaboration Manager
lfitton@museumoflondon.org.uk
Miki Webb, Junction youth panellist
Shakira Malkani, Junction youth panellist

3. What did the Museum of London
learn from being part of Stories of
the World?
• Real co-curation and co-
production is hard work
but brings positive change
for our organisation
• We Junction - the long
term input of our youth
panel is vital to successful
collaboration with young
people in the future.

4. Don’t put me in a box (or
a case)
• Stereotypes and perceptions
of young people as
portrayed in the media are a
myth
• Many of us are hard working
and passionate
• Young people are all
different from each other
• Always consult young people
during the planning stages of
projects.

5. It’s all about me
• Knowledge is power
• Learning flows when it relates to
who we are as individuals
• Historical context falls into place
through exploring relevance to
our lives
• We want to be part of
something – a participant not
just an audience member
• Different creative routes into the
collections suit different young
people
• You can learn as much from me
as I can learn from you.

6. We like freeness
• Make it free – there is stiff
competition for our money
and time
• Make sure we aren’t out of
pocket – cover travel and
feed us – this means no one
misses out
• Museums are well placed to
offer exciting opportunities
for young people to have fun
and gain skills – especially
as so many other youth
services are being even
harder hit in the cuts.

7. This ain’t the Roman
days
• …but contemporary issues
can be used as a route into
the past and connect us to
the world we live in
• Museums should get
involved in current and
even taboo and hard-hitting
issues.

8. Popping the social
media bubble
• Remember we don’t all have access
to social media
• If we do, we use it to connect to
friends – not look up museum
information
• Social media shouldn’t be the main
driving purpose of your project – but
it’s a great tool for exploring the past
• It is a successful way to showcase
and celebrate our work
• Don’t forget to train us on how to
use twitter, blogs and other media =
new skills.

9. Treat your museum like a
YouTube video – it needs to
go viral
• Get young people
talking about your
museum – word of
mouth is best
• What makes your
museum unique and
exciting?

10. What next for us?
• Junction – a permanent legacy
• Dedicated Youth Programme Coordinator
• New youth programmes and Young People’s
strategy
• Our Londinium 2012 – evaluation feedback
this week. How do visitors respond to co-
curation?
• We’ll be in the exhibition between 2 – 2.30pm
– come and say hello

12. Lighting the cauldron
Sharing our stories #ypculture
Chair: Katherine Pritchard

13. Change makers: young people
transforming our museums
Vanessa Trevelyan
Matthew Goodall
Bernadette Bidmead

23. Lighting the cauldron
Sharing our stories #ypculture
Chair: Katherine Pritchard

24. ‘Coll-education’
The chicken and egg
of collections and education
Esther Amis-Hughes and Stephanie Webb
Leeds Museums and Galleries

25. What is ‘Colleducation’
‘Colleducation is the
accidental and entirely
unintentional marrying
of collections and
education until you
cannot see the start of
one and the end of the
other’
OED 2020, 305th edition

26. The poster pin up of
Colleducation
• Antonia’s expertise
and willingness to
get out any items,
and to share her
extensive
knowledge was of
benefit to us, and all
Yorkshire partners

27. Coll(education)

28. Coll(Education)

29. How did ‘Colleducation’ meet?
• Early education sessions
and ‘challenges’
• Early lessons:
- Broaden collection themes
- Get curators to help with
outreach
- Realise objects are the
fundamental point and
without them I am just a
slightly odd woman who
talks a lot

30. Mok: Colleducation’s baby

31. Colleducation’s Monster
• If objects are our unique selling point –
let’s see what happens if our ‘education
programme’ (the Exhibition Team) choose
the objects, research them, write
interpretation …

32. Colleducation’s Monster
Object Research
- Enhanced knowledge
- Increased information
on TMS
- Experts created
- New books published
- New research into
‘forgotten’ areas

33. Colleducation’s Monster
Object interpretation
- Characters
- Passport
- Audio
- Films
- Air miles
- You Decide!

34. Colleducation’s Monster
The gallery experience

35. Colleducation’s Monster
Marketing
• Treasure Dash
• You Decide App

36. Colleducation lessons
• Collections are at the heart of education programmes
• In order for this to work, you need to be willing to hand
over control and expect anything
• Boundaries need to be in place – and need to be
explained to everyone (for example human remains)
• Don’t compromise. Try it. It leads to amazing things. It
is refreshing working with people who were less aware of
practical considerations and were just willing to work
hard to make their vision a reality. (I was constantly
asked ‘Why not?’, so I had to have a good reason for
saying no to things!)

37. Why was it a successful marriage?
• Because the collections
and education programme
were so closely linked that
they were indistinguishable
• The ‘education programme’
was running our exhibition
• Because the ‘process’ was
educational, so the end
result was educational

38. Colleducation is the future!
esther.amishughes@leeds.gov.uk

39. Lighting the cauldron
Sharing our stories #ypculture
Chair: Katherine Pritchard

40. Keep on Trucking!

41. Project Concept
• Inspired by Luton’s
international motor vehicle
heritage and strong Pakistani
community
• Build on the vehicle collection
at Stockwood Discovery
Centre
• Opportunity to work with
young people in Luton from
all our communities
• Work across cultural sectors
to share skills and experience.

42. Truck Art Aims
• To engage with young
people in their cultural
heritage and in the heritage
of Luton.
• To work with partners to
broker a sustainable
relationship with Pakistan
• To promote community
cohesion and tolerance in
Luton
• Involving young people and
communities in the
development and delivery
of the project.

43. Key Elements of the Project
• Creation of the RE‐created Youth group
• Established partnerships in Pakistan with
National College of Art and Lahore
• Material Response artist exchange
• Inspirational youth group visit to Pakistan

44. RE‐created Visit to Pakistan 2010

45. RE‐created Visit to Pakistan 2010

46. Material Response
• Artist exchange project
• Workshop with RE‐
created youth group
• Master classes and
event for visitors
• Collections
development through
creation of our own
truck
• Legacy work

47. Vardo and Truck Art

48. Haider Ali and Rory Coxhill

49. Workshops with RE‐created

50. Master Classes and Events

51. Creating our truck

52. Truck Art

53. Key Project partners

54. Legacy

55. Arts Award 2011

56. Summer Reading Challenge 2011

57. Vardo Art 2012
• NCA student visit to Luton
hosted by RE‐created
• Workshops to create a living
wagon based on vardo and
Truck art inspirations
• Artist exchange with Haider
Ali and Truck art Apprentice
• Exhibition for SOTW
‘Around the World in Eighty
Objects’

58. Community partnerships

59. International partnerships

60. Co‐production
• Ensure sustainable
future of the museum
through volunteering
• Increase community
awareness and
involvement in museum
• Local pride and
‘ownership’
• Develop a new model for
the museum planning
and programming

61. Karen Perkins
Director of Museums
01582 546726
Karen.Perkins@lutonculture.com

62. Lighting the Cauldron
#ypculture
Big Dance 2008 launch at London Palladium
Photo: James O Jenkins