What do young people expect from culture?Experience, participation, co-creation, and values
How cultural institutions can engage the next generation: best practices from the Communicating the Arts Ottawa–Gatineau Conference.
What happens when cultural institutions stop speaking for young people and start creating with them? At Communicating the Arts 2026 Ottawa-Gatineau — “Building Trust, Bridging Worlds” (13–16 October) — three speakers will showcase how co-creation is transforming cultural organisations into places wherethe next generation is not simply visiting, but actively contributing, collaborating, and making change.
Less exhibition, more belonging
At the heart of this conversation is Becky Jefcoate, Practitioner Research Associate at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, whose groundbreaking project Happy Place demonstrates the power of listening, trust, and shared creative ownership.
Faced with growing concerns about the mental health and wellbeing of 16-25-year-olds, the Fitzwilliam Museum invited 49 young adults to become Creative Producers in a nine-month journey of dialogue, experimentation, and design. The result was an immersive wellbeing space unlike any traditional museum gallery: an overgrown “garden of the imagination” filled with soothing sounds, scents, hammocks, cardboard trees, and opportunities for play and reflection.
More than an exhibition, Happy Place became a powerful exercise in relationship-building. By sharing authority and embracing empathy, the museum created a space where every visitor reported improved mood and a stronger sense of connection, calm, and belonging.
Jefcoate’s session offers a compelling vision for moving beyond audience engagement and toward genuine partnerships with younger generations — demonstrating how cultural institutions can become trusted spaces of care in an increasingly fragmented world.
The museum as a laboratory of youth leadership
While Happy Place explores co-creation through wellbeing, Guillemette Naessens, Director of Communications at the Museum of Fine Arts of Lyon, presents a model where empowerment is not a programme — it’s a practice.
For more than a decade, the Lyon museum has developed ambitious initiatives that place students at the very centre of institutional life. Young people are not merely invited to visit; they are trusted with meaningful responsibilities and encouraged to shape the museum experience itself. During major events, students take active roles across the organisation — from communications and audience engagement to event management and visitor experience. In effect, the museum becomes theirs.
The results speak for themselves: today, 30% of the museum’s individual visitors are under the age of 26 — a remarkable figure that positions the institution as a genuinely inclusive space, relevant across generations. Naessens’ presentation makes a powerful case: when young people are treated as contributors rather than consumers, museums become more dynamic, more connected, and more alive.
Turning creativity into connection
The theme of youth co-creation extends beyond museums into the performing arts through the work of Jillian Barker, director of learning and participation at the Royal Ballet and Opera in London.
Her session explores a powerful three-year collaboration in Bradford, one of the UK’s most diverse cities and the 2025 UK City of Culture. Rather than imposing a programme from afar, the Royal Ballet and Opera adopted an approach grounded in listening, partnership, and local collaboration.
Working with 45 schools, dance schools, teachers, and 2,500 young people, the organisation explored how ballet and opera could unlock creativity, confidence, and social connection. Independent researchers found significant positive impacts on learning, wellbeing, and participation, highlighting the transformative potential of embedding creativity into education.
The project culminated in Sing, Dance, Leap, a large-scale performance created with thousands of children alongside professional artists. It became a celebration of young people’s hopes, dreams, and creative voices—a vivid example of how culture can bridge social divides and create meaningful connections.
From audiences to partners
Together, these three sessions reveal a common lesson: young people are not the audience of tomorrow—they are partners today.
Whether transforming a gallery into a wellbeing sanctuary, handing students the keys to a museum, or co-creating performances with thousands of children, Becky Jefcoate, Guillemette Naessens, and Jillian Barker demonstrate that the future of cultural engagement lies in collaboration, trust, and shared ownership.
For cultural leaders seeking new ways to connect with younger generations, these presentations offer practical strategies, inspiring case studies, and a powerful reminder that the most meaningful spaces are often the ones we create together.
Beyond age: unlocking collective intelligence
These presentations will also explore the opportunities and challenges of intergenerational collaboration within cultural institutions.
Today, multiple generations work side by side across museums, performing arts organisations, and cultural agencies. By exploring successful case studies and practical tools, CTA conference participants will discover best practices for fostering meaningful exchange between age groups.
How can cultural organisations create environments where different generations genuinely learn from one another rather than simply work alongside each other? What role can mentoring and reverse mentoring play in building stronger, more innovative institutions? And how can leaders harness the diversity of experiences, perspectives, and skills across generations to foster trust, creativity, and long-term impact?
These are just some of the questions that will be explored — and answered — during Communicating the Arts 2026 in Ottawa-Gatineau.
Join us at Communicating the Arts 2026 in Ottawa-Gatineau and discover how co-creation with young people is reshaping the cultural sector.
Written by Davide Mura - Editorialist, Communicating the Arts
