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Free online learning resource launched for the UK's heritage and cultural sector
Curious Minds has launched a new free online training programme - I’m A Teenager… Get Me Into There! - designed to help support and enable greater participation by young people in the UK's heritage and cultural sector.
Research shows that positive interactions with heritage, culture and the arts as a teenager is formative. It aides cognitive development and, crucially, informs a person's lifelong relationship with the sector. However, young people are often considered less interested in engaging with culture and heritage venues, often due to feeling unwelcome and uncertain in these environments.Our modular and action-focused programme, is designed to help overcome these challenges by supporting museums, libraries and other cultural venues to create a more welcoming and inclusive environment, as well as empowering their public-facing staff to feel more confident in their interactions with young people.
Completed online, but with a tailored, in-person option available for venues, this self-facilitated course is aimed at those working particularly front of house, customer service and volunteer teams. It has been developed using direct feedback from young people, coupled with scientific knowledge about brain development and processing in the teenage years.
The training covers topics including perceptions of young people and teenage brain development, as well as identifying and dealing with “sliding door moments”; situations which could escalate into conflict and confrontation. It also features honest, real-life accounts from young people of their experiences of visiting a cultural or heritage venue, using filmed re-enactments with young performers from Oldham Theatre Workshop to explore how situations can arise and might be handled differently.
The training covers topics including perceptions of young people and teenage brain development, as well as identifying and dealing with “sliding door moments”; situations which could escalate into conflict and confrontation. It also features honest, real-life accounts from young people of their experiences of visiting a cultural or heritage venue, using filmed re-enactments with young performers from Oldham Theatre Workshop to explore how situations can arise and might be handled differently.
Through six structured modules, learners are encouraged to identify possible reasons why young people might not feel completely at ease in their venue and are offered suggestions for practical changes that can help them make a difference.
Commenting on the launch, Kelly Allen, Executive Director of Social Justice at Curious Minds, said:
“Experience has shown us that every single adult interaction really matters to young people, especially when they’re doing something that’s new to them. It can completely change their perception of the whole visit, regardless of what they’ve come to see or do. It also affects their willingness to engage with that artform elsewhere, so the responsibility to get it right is huge. That’s why we felt it so important to develop these resources.”
Alexander Bird, Museum Development Officer (Workforce and Skills) at Museum Development North West, said:
“This course is an absolute must for those working in museums that want to engage more with teenage audiences, and the best thing is it’s free for all!”
I’m A Teenager… Get Me Into There! was first developed in partnership with national youth charity UFA and the Lancashire Library and Museums Service. It was later redeveloped with the support of Youth Focus North West and five North West museum partners as part of Curious Minds’ Hope Streets initiative. The project is part of a wider body of work which aims to embed new models of youth engagement and leadership; to locate the heritage sector at the heart of young people’s services and young people at the heart of heritage.
If you're curious to learn more about I'm A Teenager... get Me Into There! or would like to explore the option of comissioning Curious Minds to deliver training to your teams 'in person', please take a look at our explainer page or contact our Executive Director of Social Justice, Kelly Allen:
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