It’s not too late to organise and register an event for Takeover Days in England and Wales and make a difference to young people’s outlook and give them a meaningful role in a museum setting. And Kids in Museums, who have produced a handy Takeover Day 2018 Factsheet, say your event can involve one child or one hundred children. “It’s a day to come up with new ideas and empower them to contribute creatively to your work.”
Museums + Heritage Advisor will also be taken over again on the English Takeover Day with its homepage filled with kids’ reports and photos from their activities across the country, including some from the previous weeks’ Welsh Takeover Day. If you have an event and want to see it published on Advisor email editor Adrian Murphy: [email protected].
Six reasons to do Takeover Day
Understand young people
It gives an opportunity to try out new ways of working with children. Two thirds of venues say it has given them a better understanding of young people’s needs and interests.
Enthuse your team
It’s a great way to bring staff and departments together. Half of participating organisations say internal awareness and appreciation of their work with young people has grown as a result of Takeover Day. It brings excitement and enjoyment to colleagues who are not normally involved with children and teenagers.
Build your profile
It causes a thrill locally, from the large amounts of media coverage to the word on the community grapevine.
Work together with the community
It helps create and strengthen partnerships, and often forms new and unexpected ones. Takeover Day is perfect for working with schools, youth groups, Scouts and faith groups. Ask people in your community what they want from you and you’ll become a special place for them.
You can make it your own
Takeover Day is entirely flexible. You can work with one child or 100, seven year olds or twenty-one year olds. The programme for the day is up to you and your young people. Whether you’re a large or small attraction, staff or volunteer-run, open or closed, you choose how to get involved.
Make young people a part of your organisation
It can be a springboard for young people’s continued involvement, from setting up a youth panel to becoming volunteers. Children come back with family and friends to show what they’ve achieved. Others create resources that can be accessed by visitors in galleries – and global audiences through the internet. It has a wide and lasting impact.
