Being a young person trying to get into the heritage sector can be daunting. There’s a feeling that you’ll always be in fierce competition for roles with older professionals with more experience, and that potentially your youth will be seen as a disadvantage. My peers often express worry that they won’t be taken seriously due to their age, particularly due to popular perceptions of Millennials and Generation Z as lazy or otherwise difficult to work with. But the heritage sector is making changes to promote the inclusion of young people, both as visitors and as professionals. I have had the privilege of being involved in the English Heritage Shout Out Loud Programme from December 2020 onwards - the programme brings together 11-25 year olds from around the UK and aims to give young people a voice in the interpretation and presentation of England’s stories. It is one of 12 Kick the Dust projects, a National Lottery Heritage Fund programme aiming to make heritage relevant to the lives of young people.

On the 29th and 30th of June 2022, I was one of a group of Young Producers (16-25 year olds volunteering their time to shape and direct the Shout Out Loud programme) to attend the New Heritage celebration of the Kick the Dust projects, held at Wrest Park. We heard from the participants from eight other projects, and spoke about our own experiences and ambitions. Working with Shout Out Loud helped us feel that our voices were valued, and that there is space in the heritage sector for young people. We can bring so much to the sector, and the success of Kick the Dust is just some of the evidence for that.

I have been so inspired by the young voices I’ve come across in my volunteering journey, both with Shout Out Loud and with the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists Early Careers group. English Heritage has promised that youth engagement will be embedded within the charity from now on, and I can only hope that this means the same for youth employment, and youth involvement in the heritage sector more widely. I can’t wait to see where the future will take us.