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.

Since 1994, 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.

Woodwalton Fen.

Projects

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.

29/06/2021

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

Getting work experience curating the 'Museum in a Jar' exhibition

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

Group of volunteers and children in a park waving paper butterflies

One For All Community. Credit: Megan Lower

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

Credit: Bentley Priory Museum

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

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

Two school children learning outdoors, watched over by a teacher

My School, My Planet at Whinhill Primary, Inverclyde

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

A national Welsh flag with rainbow background.

A Welsh flag with rainbow background from the Amgueddfa Cymru–National Museum Wales collection

Projects

Hands on Heritage

The Hands on Heritage project at Amgueddfa Cymru–National Museum Wales’ enabled young people from diverse backgrounds to have an impact on the collections.

28/06/2017

Chantelle Lindsay outdoors enjoying nature

Exploring Trinidad and Tobago's natural heritage at Fort George, Port of Spain.

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

Young people receiving training from the Windsor Fellowship

Photo credit: Windsor Fellowship

Stories

Training and employment opportunities to build a diverse heritage sector

We’ve launched a programme in partnership with Windsor Fellowship to help Black, Asian and minority ethnicity (BAME) graduates kickstart their careers.

Experimental photography at Llannon Cottage, Ceredigion

Blogs

Engaging young people in heritage from home

I often hear it said that it is difficult to get young people involved in heritage. I do not believe this to be true, and we have had no difficulty in attracting young people to be part of the Royal Commission’s youth engagement project, Unloved Heritage? . This has been running for three years now

20/04/2020

A mannequin in a T-shirt saying 'we should all be feminists'

Blogs

Reimagine, Remake, Replay: giving young women a voice in heritage

Two young women making their mark in heritage describe their experiences of a project at the Ulster Museum.

06/03/2020

Blogs

Kick the Dust - what we learned in year two

Four years ago, we set out to change the way young people are involved in and experience heritage.

03/02/2020