Children and young people

Heritage has a crucial role to play in enriching the lives of children and young people, creating a more inclusive society.

Over the past 25 years, we are proud to have invested over £60million across the UK in projects working with children and young people. This includes the £10m Kick the Dust programme.

The National Lottery Heritage Fund is committed to making heritage more inclusive and accessible to a wider range of people and this includes the younger generations. We know that children and young people can play a significant role in creating innovative and exciting heritage projects that really speak to them.

Explore some of our work below and find inspiration for your project, then discover whether your idea is eligible for funding.

Stories

A revolution in industrial heritage

In our conversation with Marie Millward, Ignite Yorkshire project manager, we discuss how to move beyond "nostalgia" to engage young people with our industrial past.

Blogs

Hope Streets: moving a heritage festival online

How young people helped a Kick the Dust project embrace digital during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

24/03/2022

Blogs

Reflecting and adapting to empower young people

How a natural heritage project is continually adapting to keep young people involved.

12/01/2022

A person wearing a mask touches a creative display of glass jars

Blogs

Kick the Dust Norfolk Journeys: helping young people into work

Discover how a heritage-themed work experience programme is helping young people to develop crucial skills and secure employment.

15/07/2021

Blogs

Time for a change: outdoor learning for every child

The pandemic has shown us that education needs to value the outdoors and natural heritage more.

16/03/2021

Chantelle Lindsay outdoors enjoying nature

Blogs

Breaking down barriers to nature for young Black people

Throughout my life, telling people my aspirations to have a career in wildlife conservation has often been met with surprise and disbelief.

29/10/2020

Stories

Helping all young people get hands on with nature

We spent a day in Sydenham Hill Wood, south London, where theories about wellbeing are guiding young people's interactions with our wild places.

Blogs

A practical guide to more inclusive hiring

Our new Racial equity in nature toolkit can help organisations gain the tools and confidence to recruit and retain more diverse staff and volunteers.

05/05/2022

Projects

Who Wants To Be An Olympian?

Pakiki Theatre’s Who wants to be an Olympian? project will explore the sporting heritage of the Olympics and Paralympics with young people in Newham.

17/02/2022

Person from Newham Music Trust performing

Projects

Olympics 2012 Legacy Songbook

Newham Music Trust will create a music programme to help Newham’s schools explore the positive impact London 2012 had on the area.

11/02/2022

Three men leaning on railing, looking at each other

News

Charity YHA awarded almost £1million from the Culture Recovery Fund

The organisation – which provides hostel stays and experiences to improve mental and physical wellbeing for young people – is receiving a financial boost to help it recover from the pandemic.

21/03/2022

News

£2.7million funding for Grimsby Youth Zone

Young people are at the "heart" of a project which will help regenerate the under-served area of North East Lincolnshire

28/01/2022

Happy volunteers at the Green Valley Conservation and Heritage Project

News

South Wales wellbeing garden wins National Lottery award

A project which uses gardening and nature to improve people’s employability and wellbeing has been named the 2021 National Lottery Wales Project of the Year.

09/12/2021

News

£7million legacy for nature and communities for the Queen’s Jubilee

We’re investing in local nature projects and creating job opportunities for 70 young people to mark Her Majesty’s 70 years on the throne.

17/11/2021

Design visual of people enjoying a garden with trees and pond, outside the Natural History Museum

News

£3.2million for the Natural History Museum’s Urban Nature Project

A major project will support wildlife in London and other UK cities through a biodiverse green space, scientific innovation and engaging young people.

12/08/2021

Long green grass and rushes surrounding water at Woodwalton Fen

Projects

HHA2019 Peatland Progress: A New Vision for the Fens

We have awarded more than £8million to this ground-breaking project that addresses climate change, carbon emissions, biodiversity loss and the mental health and wellbeing of young people.

05/07/2021

Group of volunteers and children in a park waving paper butterflies

Projects

All The Moor Butterflies: preserving rare species and improving wellbeing

This project helped to safeguard some of South West England’s rarest butterfly and moth species. The conservation work engaged a wider range of people through working with partners.

01/09/2016

News

Podcasts: how the heritage sector is embracing the trend

Podcasts are on the rise. As well as engaging audiences who cannot physically visit a site, they can be a great way to continue delivering a project.

25/03/2021

Two school children learning outdoors, watched over by a teacher

News

Nature restores hope for children disproportionately impacted by COVID-19

My School, My Planet worked with 49 school across the country from September to November 2020. It was delivered by Learning through Landscapes with a £275,000 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. The programme aimed to help children re-engage with learning after a significant period away

25/02/2021

Children and young people

Children and young people

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