The Heritage Lottery fund (HLF) has recruited a group of 16-25 year old ‘ambassadors’ to help transform the way young people experience and interact with heritage.
HLF writes:
Drawn from across the UK, the 17 new Heritage Ambassadors will help decide how money is awarded through HLF’s new £10million Kick the Dust funding programme. They will also work with HLF to find ways of increasing the number of young people visiting and getting involved with heritage.
Jo Reilly, Head of Participation and Learning at HLF, said: ‘We know that children often get a lot from heritage by visiting sites and attractions with schools or their families, but these opportunities decrease dramatically during teenage years and typically don’t return until later in life. Kick the Dust is about bridging that gap. It will create ambitious, youth-focused projects aimed at transforming how heritage organisations involve young people.’
On 10 and 11 June, the 17 recruits were brought together for the first time for an induction weekend. George, 17, said of the experience: ‘I’ve come away feeling really confident that we can have a genuine positive impact on getting young people involved in celebrating and preserving the UK’s rich heritage.’
Keep up to date with the Heritage Ambassadors’ progress on the HLF website, and through #DustKickers on social media.
