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Judge for the day. One youngster getting involved in Takeover Day at the National Justice Museum. Photo by George Archer for Kids in Museums
Last week 70 museums, galleries, archives and heritage sites across the UK were taken over by children and young people for the annual Kids in Museums Takeover Day and show an extraordinary amount of engagement not just within museums but across social media.
Takeover Day sees young people take over jobs normally done by adults at museums and heritage sites and since 2010 more than 40,000 children and young people have taken part, from toddlers to university students.
Coinciding with the end of COP26 in Glasgow, Takeover Day 2021 on Friday 12 November, was themed by Kids in Museums for the first time to encourage museums to address issues that matter to young people and promote climate action.
The event saw the return of in-person Takeover Days for the first time since the start of the pandemic, involving around 1,900 young people. Young people and museums shared their events across social media using the hashtag #TakeoverDay and on Twitter alone their tweets reached more than 2m people.
Alison Bowyer, Executive Director of Kids in Museums, said: “It has been fantastic to see so many museums put the issues that matter to young people, most of all climate change, at the centre of their work this Takeover Day. As always, we are struck by the meaningful conversations and positive change that happen when young people and museums come together.
“Now in its 11th year, Takeover Day continues to be a valuable way for museums to connect with new groups of young people, particularly after the challenges of the last year. Children and young people are given a unique insight into careers both in museums and more widely. Thank you to all those involved in this year’s event.”
Many museums held climate-themed events. National Justice Museum Takeover Day. Photo by George Archer for Kids in Museums
View all participating venues on the Kids in Museums Takeover Day Map and catch up on the day’s events in the @kidsinmuseums Twitter Moment and Instagram Highlight.
Adrian is the Editor of MuseumNext and has 20 years’ experience as a journalist, half of which has been writing for the cultural sector.
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