Arran Johnson

Arran Johnson is an experienced archaeologist specialising in community engagement. He has developed a range of training and wellbeing programmes, including the award-winning social prescribing project, Archaeology on Prescription. Arran is committed to making the benefits of participation in heritage activities accessible and relevant to underserved audiences, and empowering people to become active custodians of their local historic environment.

Arran Johnson will be speaking at the Museums, Health & Well-Being Summit 2025 :

Stepping Out: A Proactive Approach to Engaging Underserved Audiences

Over the last three years, York Archaeology’s Community Engagement team has adopted an overtly proactive approach to engaging new audiences, with a particular focus on understanding why some groups may feel excluded from heritage activities. In this presentation, we will share how we have built relationships with marginalised groups, recruited and trained specialised staff, and co-designed programmes that carry out meaningful archaeological research while also responding to the needs and aspirations of the community.