As a museum in the "Olympic Borough" of Hackney, the Geffrye Museum was always going to respond positively to both Stories of the World and the linked Cultural Olympiad project London World City.
Geffrye's work is part of a response from London museums that has focused on the four themes of identity, home, journeys and place. As a museum that specialises in presenting the furniture, textiles, paintings and decorative arts of English middle-class living rooms since 1600, it is well-placed to be the lead partner on the theme of home, working with four partner museums around the capital. Here was an opportunity to get some stuff out of storage and have young people reinterpret it.
There will ultimately be a 2012 exhibition, but at this stage, rather than focusing on developing a single big project, the Geffrye is developing a range of ways in which young people can get involved in the museum. These include recruiting young people to do creative projects - film projects, intergenerational projects and digital storytelling, for example.
Young people are recruited as individuals rather than as part of youth groups, and there is a big emphasis on technical skills, as well as on privileged access to collections and staff. Search YouTube for The Thing from Malta and you will see a lively example of film-making by Barbara, Jane and Satvir, who made a film about a tacky 1960s plate brought back as a holiday souvenir, to explore ideas about travel culture and souvenirs.
The key development for Stories of the World is the youth advisory panel. This meets monthly and is encouraging young volunteers to have a greater role in the museum's life. Panel members have taken charge of processes for publicising youth and community activities, including taking pitches from three design agencies for publicity material.
A photoshoot for young members, along with selected objects from the collections, was arranged with professional photographers, and panelists were taken on a tour of the nearby Olympic site. They are also working with education staff on programming various special weekends and summer holiday events.
Involving young people as tour guides has also worked particularly well.
