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WHEN TIMING ISN’T EVERYTHING
17.02.2012 / Dea Birkett / 0 Comments
Dea Birkett, director of Kids in Museums, hopes a child’s day in a museum is really a lifetime
A week of this, a day of that. Sometimes a month of something else. From National Storytelling Week to World Book Day, we seem to love defined times to focus on particular activities. We’re so wedded to linking our events to a part of the cal- endar that we continue to do so even after the event itself has completely outgrown its allocated annual slot.
Last year’s Kids Week - a London promotion when children get discounted or free tickets to West End theatres – ran from 12 August to 4 September. By my calculation, that’s a 24-day long week. Doesn’t Equity have anything to say about this?
Do we suffer from weekitis, or is there really an advantage – beyond simple marketing – in providing a time-limited focus for particular kinds of activities? Kids in Museums runs Takeover Day in museums, as part of the Children’s Commissioner’s nationwide, cross industries Takeover Day.
On this one day in November, young people are invited to “takeover” an organisation by being given a meaningful, decision-making role within it. This year’s Takeover Day was an undeniable success, with over 500 young people becoming directors, front of house staff, social media managers and curators for eight hours. Many had never been to the museum before and believed it wasn’t for them. By the end of their shift, they were asking about internships and work experience. But is Takeover Day really anything more than token involvement? Does it simply tick an access box? The risk is, it could do. The truth is, it doesn’t. And that’s because it isn’t – or shouldn’t – be seen as an end in itself. Bragging about how many teenagers designed your website one morning misses the point. Takeover Day should be the first day of a long term relationship in which a museum learns to live with and love its young visitors. One day is not – is never, ever – enough.
For many museums, Takeover Day is day one of a new relationship, which is where much of its value lies. It encourages museums to search out a
relationship, which is where much of its value lies. It encourages museums to search out a relationship with young people. It also acts a little like a dating agency. Kids in Museums had an expert on hand who could help partner young people and museums. We also offered counselling as the relationship developed.
Of course, many museums are already involved in such long term partnerships. But for those for whom such relationships were a new and slightly scary departure, Takeover Day provided the impetus and support.
Now the challenge is to make Takeover an ethos and orthodoxy, not just an event. Black History Month is a good example of how this can happen. When it first launched in the UK, there was little black history taught or recognised in education and the arts. But if the only commitment required had remained at just one month each year, the month would have been a failure. Instead, the month introduced new ideas and audiences, and seeped out into year-round practice. Now black history is (hopefully) embedded in the curriculum and beyond.
One day, one week or one month is never enough. But simply making a week last longer than seven days isn’t the answer either. Kids Week isn’t the first initiative to get the calendar so confused. The Northern Irish political magazine Fortnight came out once a month.
www.kidsinmuseums.org.uk www.deabirkett.com
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