The museum has been awarded with the National Youth Agency's Hear by Right Bronze Award.
The Hear by Right Award was developed and launched by the National Youth Agency in 2010 to showcase the achievements of organisations that take youth participation seriously and highlight the contribution of the young people they work with. There are three levels available - bronze, silver and gold, each measured across different levels of the Hear by Right Framework for youth participation.
To become the first organisation to achieve the bronze level recognition, Leeds City Museum has developed and implemented a clear plan to guide how youth participation informs strategic decisions.
The museum worked in partnership with The Youth Association (TYA) to meaningfully involve young people in assessing the museum, and making recommendations. TYA also helped to organise a workshop between the young people and senior decision makers to embed participation into the culture of the museum.
Their approach includes establishing a steering group of young people from all ages and backgrounds.
The museum chose to go for the Bronze award after taking part in the London 2012 project Stories of the World.
Stories of the World is part of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad programme, which presents exciting new museum exhibitions across the UK, created by young people. The project is led by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council in partnership with the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Working with the NYA and the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council, the Leeds City Museum project brought together members of the local community to share stories across the generations and cultures, and identified the museum's emerging strengths in youth participation.
