Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust

Awards

Enticing young people to volunteer in museums

Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust has one eye firmly on the future. The image of a museum volunteer is often one of a retiree, diligently going about the work of supporting their chosen institution. But Ironbridge wanted to change this picture a little – not just for itself, but also for a host of other museums in the West Midlands region.

‘World Class Volunteering’ is a programme that was started by the Trust in 2009, which aimed to increase the diversity and number of volunteers giving their time to local institutions. In particular, the charity was keen to expand the number of young people volunteering.

In the three years since the programme launched, volunteer numbers have more than doubled to 403. The age profile of volunteers has also undergone a dramatic shift. Now 28 per cent of volunteers are under 24 years of age, many times more than the national average of 5 per cent. To manage this step-change in its programme, the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust completely changed the way it recruited and managed volunteers, giving each one a job description and personal development plan, and turning to social media to reach potential new recruits.

The scheme has engaged a number of young people not in education, employment or training, providing valuable vocational skills.

But the charity is not resting on its laurels. New targets have been set for 2012-2015 and Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust is hoping that by getting young people interested in the local heritage now, it will provide a strong base for the region’s museums in the long-term.

Miss Anna Brennand
Deputy chief executive
Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust
Coach Road, Coalbrookdale
Shropshire TF87DQ
Tel: 01952 435900
anna.brennand@ironbridge.org.uk
CC reg no: 503717-R

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