Young Advocates in Museums

A dynamic new scheme at The Fitzwilliam Museum, in association with The Cambridge Folk Museum and the Cambridge Museum of Technology, has given local young people the chance to gain an exciting introduction to the world of museums.

The ‘Young Museum Advocates’ scheme, developed with the Museums Libraries and Archives Council East of England, recruited ten students from Cambridge’s Chesterton Community College to form a panel of ‘cultural advocates’.

                        This group received the unique opportunity to go behind the scenes at these three Cambridge museums, and take part in a variety of exciting activities. As part of the scheme, the Young Advocates were given a choice of projects to work on, designed to challenge the participants to encourage people of their own age into museums. These included the ‘Murder at the White Horse Inn’, a popular murder-mystery event set in The Folk Museum which transported visitors ‘back in time’.


                        
                        Margaret Greeves, Assistant Director of The Fitzwilliam Museum said "By sharing their own positive experiences, these Young Advocates have had the opportunity to introduce other young people to museums they might have previously felt were ‘not for them’. The scheme is also a chance for young people not only to gain new skills, but also to have their opinions heard, as the feedback from our Young Advocates will help us to explore new ways of developing our services and meeting the needs of younger visitors."

The Young Advocates documented their experiences for The Fitzwilliam Museum in a podcast-style recording, which can be heard below:

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Duration 07:02m :: Download (MP3)

31 July 2008