Use this Page to…
1. Learn the benefits of why archives should work with young people.
2. Help advocate and convince your service leadership team to work more with young people.
3. Help persuade those working in education of the benefits gained from working together – see also Archives as an Educational Tool.
Belonging & Representation
Archives are a great tool for helping young people to find a sense of belonging and to establish a sense of identity based on where they live.
Learning about where they come from through records will help young people…
- Feel connected, empowered and supported within a community.
- Find opportunities to socialise.
- Strengthen their identity, pride, and understanding of where they come from.
- Provide connection to where they live and show how it has changed over time.
Introducing young people to archives and records at school age will help…
- Remove preconceived barriers that make young people believe that they would not be welcome.
- Encourage them to visit archives and learn about representation in collections.
- Demonstrate the relevance of archives as resources for future study.
- Validate young people as researchers.
Support Learning
Archives provide both educators and record keepers with a set of unique tools which align with all curriculums used across the UK and Ireland. When used correctly they can bring a wide range of subjects to life, spark imagination and encourage creativity.
Curriculum
- Archives provide a real life example of research.
- Introduces primary sources in a tangible way.
- Supports digital literacy.
- Builds confidence and creativity.
Skills
- Critical thinking.
- Independent research.
- Communication
- Evidence to add to skills/experience section of CV and applications.
“As an English teacher, I am teaching students to interact and communicate with the world around them and its history. For a lesson on pals battalions I looked to archives for records of the Accrington pals to help students really see the impact on everyday people close to where my students are growing up. Lessons like these help students connect to the texts and information they are studying, but also the community around them and before them.”
– Rachel Smith, English Teacher
Benefits to Archives
Here are 10 important reasons why your archive should work with young people…
- Young people are future service users and collection depositors.
- Every new user raises the profile of the service resulting in reaching new audiences and attracting new visitors, which helps build service sustainability.
- Engaging young people early increases the chance of student work experience placements. This will lead to a diversified workforce over time.
- By working with young people it strengthens the archive’s position in the local community.
- Projects with young people helps support an archive’s application for, or maintenance of, Archives Service Accreditation.
- Archives can build positive partnerships with teachers, colleges, youth services etc.
- Youth engagement can often be a priority for typical archive funders.
- Helps to bust the myth that archives are secretive places reserved for (old) academics.
- Working with young people provides an opportunity to shape historical narratives or fill gaps in collections.
- Archive services can also connect with underrepresented voices, by encouraging young people to contribute to collections via contemporary collecting initiatives.
One in a Series….
This resource is the first in a series designed to encourage and support archives in collaborating with the education sector. The series consists of the following resources:
1- Why your Archive should Work with Young People
2- Archives as an Educational Tool
3- Ways to Contact Educators
4- Case Study
5- Additional Resources