HOW IT ALL BEGAN

Youth Media TV evolved from attempts in late 2000 to constructively enlist young people who were disengaged in and around the Museum. The young people were asked if there was any activity they would like to become involved in and they showed enthusiasm for the TV studio. We invited them to take part in a hands-on TV studio production workshops and with the help of the Museum staff, they made programmes about their own experiences and views. We kept in touch with them via mobile phone and the word soon spread amongst their friends. We were never short of participants and rapidly the sessions were oversubscribed.

The project was enormously successful – levels of vandalism in the museum galleries dropped and young people were motivated to build positive relationships with the Museum staff. For several the project proved to be a route to employment and meaningful participation in society. With seed funding from trusts and foundations, and from the public sector, Youth Media TV entered its pilot phase.