Festival of Archaeology Youth Day 2024

Every year, as part of the Festival of Archaeology, we celebrate young people during our Youth Day. This is an opportunity to foreground the contribution of young people, early career archaeologists and heritage professionals.

The Youth Day is kindly sponsored by the Royal Archaeological Institute (RAI).

As part of this year's Youth Day we have a number of events and resources lined-up.

Early Careers Conference

Following the success of the 2021, 2022 and 2023 conferences, the CIfA Early Careers Special Interest Group and CBA are hosting our fourth digital Student and Early Careers Conference as part of this year’s Youth Day.

This digital conference aims to platform students and early career archaeologists, and to give them the opportunity to gain presentation experience.

We hope the conference audience will comprise of anyone who has an interest in the range of topics that will be discussed and/or those who wish to support early career archaeologists and heritage professionals in a welcoming and friendly environment.

Find out more here: Early Careers Conference 2024

Introducing the CBA's ‘My Heritage’ NHLF Lottery Funded Project

The Council for British Archaeology (CBA) in partnership with Photoworks are seeking applications from young people who are keen to develop their creative photography practice with support from Photoworks and an experienced artist mentor. Young people will help the CBA explore how it reimagines what archaeology is for contemporary audiences.

We are looking for young people who are not already actively working or volunteering within the archaeology and/or heritage sector and where photography is their primary interest or practice. Successful applicants will be invited to take part in six online sessions with artist Laura El-Tantawy between October 2024 and February 2025.

The sessions will involve a combination of group workshops and one-to-one working with Laura. Using these sessions as a springboard, participants will create a new body of photographic work that reimagines young people’s perceptions of archaeology and heritage in their own places. We will also provide the opportunity to explore themes and ideas with archaeologists from the CBA. We are interested in supporting young people to move away from the idea of historical or ancient heritage and instead examine their lives and heritage in the present.

Photography offers a unique vantage point from which the six young people can challenge perceptions of what constitutes heritage, explore how and whether we all see ourselves reflected in heritage, and work to engender a sense of belonging, ownership and relevance.

Find out more here: My Heritage

YAC Festival Resource Pack: archaeology and community

To celebrate the 2024 Festival of Archaeology, the Young Archaeologists’ Club (YAC) have created a bumper resource pack with activity ideas based on the Festival’s theme of Archaeology and Communities, which will be highlighted throughout Youth Day.

In this new resource pack, you will be able to explore this theme through a variety of activities, including creating your own summer solstice myths, becoming a mapmaker, 3D modelling, storytelling through tattoos and creating your own ritual deposition.

Thank You!

The YAC believes in the power of youth voice; part of which includes providing young people the space to develop and deliver projects of interest to them.

This resource pack has been co-created by young people for young people. All of the resources have been created by the Council for British Archaeology’s Young Advisors and student placements. You can meet our contributors in the new resource pack.

Together they have created an exciting set of activities aimed at anyone aged 8–16.

Youth Engagement Blogs

We will be launching a series of blogs outlining the work of the CBA placements students and Youth Advisory Board members, who have created their own podcast, accessibility guidance and videos documenting the co-created Chester Castle Youth Day.

We hope you will join us for the 2024 Festival of Archaeology Youth Day and the many other youth-focused events running throughout the Festival period.