Northern Dimension Youth and Museums for Sustainability
Project Duration
15 February 2022 – 31 October 2022
Co-creating sustainability education with young adults and museums.
Keywords
Youth engagement, museums, sustainability, SDGs, creative education, Northern Dimension
Summary
How can museums engage young adults in meaningful conversations about sustainability?
Northern Dimension Youth and Museums for Sustainability set out to explore exactly this by inviting museums and youth to co-create innovative educational models on sustainability and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
What makes this project unique is its hands-on approach to building connections between museums and young adults (18–29) in the Northern Dimension region, empowering both to work together on projects that make museums more engaging and relevant while tackling global challenges.
Launched during the European Year of Youth 2022, the programme provided a framework for museums to submit real sustainability challenges, which were then addressed through youth-led hackathons, mentoring, and collaboration. The three winning projects were supported for implementation within participating museums, with the lessons learned feeding into a practical toolbox for museum educators on youth, sustainability, and SDGs.
Objectives
- Empower collaboration between museums and youth on sustainability and SDGs
- Develop innovative educational models within museums for young audiences
- Pilot and evaluate best practices in youth-led museum education
- Create a practical toolbox for museums on youth engagement and sustainability
Key Activities
- Challenge Collection: Museums across the ND region submitted sustainability challenges
- Youth Engagement: Young adults participated in hackathons to develop solutions
- Workshops: Expert-led sessions on sustainability, museum innovation, and youth engagement
- Pilot Implementation: Three winning ideas implemented in museums with youth teams
- Toolbox Creation: A practical resource for museums on creating youth-led sustainability education
Results
- Strengthened partnerships between museums and young people in the ND region
- Piloted youth-led solutions addressing sustainability within museum settings
- Generated new, innovative educational formats for engaging young audiences
- Created a hands-on toolbox for museums on youth, sustainability, and SDGs
Read the NEMO study “Learning in Museums and Young People”