Join us for a deep, practice-based exploration of what meaningful youth co-production, youth engagement, partnership working, and inclusive programme design look like across different museum and cultural contexts. This study day will unpack the practical, emotional, and institutional dimensions of working meaningfully with underserved young people.

Building on five years leading the British Museum’s Where we are… programme delivered with 21 partner organisations and resulting in 10 youth-led cultural projects, the study day will also draw on examples from science communication, botanic education, and international development. These case studies illustrate how assets-based, trauma-informed and co-productive approaches can be adapted across diverse institutional cultures and audiences.

Participants will explore:

• Institutional readiness: the cultural, structural, and operational conditions that enable youth co-production
• Equitable partnership working: building trust-based collaborations with youth-led charities, schools, local museums, and community organisations
• Designing safe, creative spaces: approaches to emotional, physical, and organisational safety for young people
• ED&I in practice: integrating inclusive language, representation, and decision-making into programme design and gallery content
• Iteration, experimentation & learning: navigating the joys, challenges, barriers, and breakthroughs of long-term collaborative work

Rather than presenting a polished “success story,” the day emphasises transparency, reflexivity, and learning. It invites participants to think critically about what equitable youth engagement truly demands from institutions and practitioners.

Who should attend: Museum professionals, learning and engagement teams, curators, youth programme leads, educators, and anyone seeking to embed meaningful co-production within their practice.

Participants will gain:

• Practical tools for designing or strengthening youth co-production
• Strategies for building institutional readiness across departments and leadership
• Insights from multi-institutional experience across science, culture, and education
• Approaches for embedding ED&I throughout programme design and delivery
• Space for reflection, peer exchange, and shared problem-solving

Co-production with Young People: Collaboration, Experimentation & Iteration
Study Day, Tuesday 26 May 2026, Central London
Led by Hanouf Al-Alawi

About the Workshop Leader

Hanouf Al-Alawi is a museum professional with over 20 years’ experience across the UK and Middle East, working at the intersection of science, culture, and public engagement. Her career has combined practice and scholarship—whether leading national youth engagement programmes at The British Museum, developing interpretation and visitor strategies for new museums with Barker Langham, or working at the Natural History Museum in London on science communication and volunteer engagement. Hanouf also brings experience from Kew Gardens and UNESCO, where she led community-centred education initiatives and large-scale training programmes. This multi-institutional background informs a holistic approach to co-production grounded in equity, care, and audience-centred design.

Book Tickets

Click ‘Select options’ below to book your place on the study day. Tickets are available on a sliding scale from £137 – £177. Book with colleagues for multiple delegate discounts. Book your ticket online below or email info@museum-id.com if you prefer to be invoiced.

20% of tickets are available at a reduced rate for museum workers who may often be excluded from training and professional development opportunities, including people of colour, LGBTQ+ members of staff, students, freelancers, and those working at small independent museums. Reduced rate tickets are £97 – email info@museum-id.com to check availability and to book a ticket at the reduced rate.

Tickets are non-refundable but may be swapped between colleagues at the same organisation and between different study days (if places are available). If the workshop is postponed, your ticket remains valid for the rescheduled date.