Press Releases

Creating a Future from the Past

Young People, Heritage and Culture – Creating a Future from the Past

Heritage Minister Rhodri Glyn Thomas AM will open a one-day heritage, arts and culture conference at National Museum Cardiff on 15 November 2007, exploring new approaches to working with young people.

‘Young People, Heritage and Culture – Creating a Future from the Past’ is aimed at building vibrant connections between artists, youth professionals, young people, funders, accrediting bodies and heritage organizations.

One example of this is Amgueddfa Cymru's heritage, arts and culture project for disadvantaged young people - ‘On Common Ground, which has been running for the past five years.

The 400 or so young people involved faced numerous barriers to participation but were given the opportunity to develop their own interesting and relevant work in an innovative, creative and comfortable atmosphere. Groups explored aspects of their cultural heritage and created high quality project work in the media of their choice – anything from fine art work to film making or website design.

“It has become evident that using heritage, culture and museum collections is an effective means of sparking and maintaining enthusiasm as soon as the initial ‘museums are boring’ barrier is overcome,” said Amgueddfa Cymru Director General, Michael Houlihan.

“This project highlights the significance of choice where individuals are offered opportunities to make their own decisions about the provision of activities.”

Rhodri Glyn Thomas, Minister for Heritage, who will open the conference, added:

“On Common Ground has provided great opportunities for these young people and has also shown that museums in the 21st century have something to offer the whole community, irrespective of age, ability or cultural background.

“Often, the young people involved would have experienced failure and exclusion from the more conventional learning environments, therefore, this project, and other projects like it offer them a new route through which they could progress, achieve and experience success.

“Today is the opportunity to bring together artists, young professionals, young people, funders, accrediting bodies and heritage organisations to learn from each other, to make new contacts and to be inspired. “

National Museum Cardiff is one of Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales’s seven national museums. The others are St Fagans: National History Museum, the National Roman Legionary Museum, Caerleon, Big Pit: National Coal Museum, Blaenafon, National Wool Museum, Dre-fach, Felindre, National Slate Museum, Llanberis, and the National Waterfront Museum, Swansea.

Admission is free to all seven national museums, thanks to the support of the Welsh Assembly Government.

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For further information please contact

Sian James, Corporate Communications Officer

Amgueddfa Cymru - National Museum Wales

(029) 2057 3175 / 07812 801356

Sian.james@museumwales.ac.uk