Act Your Age: Young People and the Heritage Sector

Heritage may literally be thing of the past. But the means of integrating it into wider artistic, cultural and recreational movements and trends of the modern day don’t have to be.

Image by To a Heftier, via Unsplash.

Amongst a constant roll-out of memes of all kinds, Netflix Originals that play in automatic succession, and the parallel universe that is TikTok, the attention of young people is arguably one of the most sought-after and highly valued currencies of our time. The world inhabited by younger generations – not only our digital spaces but our tangible engagements with arts, culture, innovation, politics, technology, and so on – is one that no industry with any vision for its future can or should exist outside of, and so competition is tough. 

A priority of many of the organisations and institutions, big and small, that comprise the heritage sector is the engagement of younger audiences. Shifting the demographics of those who value the lessons, remnants, arts, culture, stories and traditions of the past to a more youthful one is not just a nice idea; it is a movement upon which the sustainability and protection of the entire heritage sector depends, if it wants to stand a fighting chance for survival in the not-so-distant future. In other words, the preservation of our past, too, relies on how successfully it can vie for the attentions of today’s youth.

Image by Ben Collins, via Unsplash.

 While some heritage bodies have developed programmes, events and ideas that are successful in capturing the interests of children and young adults, even just momentarily, other attempts are unfortunately failing. Simply transferring the same messaging that has been used to advertise and disseminate heritage sites and initiatives for decades to more current channels and mediums – I’m looking at you, Instagram – does not mean a younger generation is being reached. In fact, I’d argue that filling a social media platform with content that does not speak to younger users in their language may actually be doing the opposite, by proving the assumption that heritage is an inaccessible, disengaging and dismissible thing of the past.

 A thing of the past it quite literally is. But the means of integrating heritage into wider artistic, cultural and recreational movements and trends of the modern day don’t have to be. Speaking the language of a younger demographic is arguably done best and most efficiently when young people themselves are invited to translate the relatability and magic of heritage for their own generation, in their mother tongue. Without junior positions filled by young minds or the advice of emerging consultants, I imagine heritage bodies will continue to have a much harder time landing on the same playing field as the audience they want and need to reach than the organisations and industries that actively look toward younger colleagues and take their ideas seriously.

Images by Roberto Nickson, via Unsplash.

Here’s my hunch: the key to reaching younger audiences might be actually employing – yes, paying – young people who will look left and right at their peers, and be able to communicate what they know will earn their invaluable ear. This demographic endeavour doesn’t just require a digitisation and updating of heritage projects and sites; it calls for a total transformation of the way the heritage sector is run and by whom, the projects that are given attention and resources, and the role of young people as valued partners. If analogies are of any aid to my point: we’re not dealing with a need for a little topical anti-aging product to lift the sagging edges of a sector long conceptualised as old and boring; we need invasive plastic surgery. 

If heritage communications continue to be developed from the top down by senior executives alone – who approach outreach with unparalleled expertise, yes, but also with a sophisticated understanding and existing appreciation that their audience simply will not relate to – there is a risk of losing not only precious time and resources, but also the interests of the generation to whom this sector will one day be handed off. The only way for heritage to remain relevant in coming years is if it is adopted by the youth of today whose priorities and values will dictate the future; and the only way to get through to them is if the incoming generation of arts and culture professionals is involved in, or even spearheading, this endeavour. In exchange for space to learn from and be guided by our predecessors, entertain ideas that may seem ambitious or unconventional, and reshuffle existing budgets, processes and priorities according to them, we can offer the perspective and punchlines needed to reach the world’s most critical target audience. For us, it’s simple; all we have to do is act our age. 

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Image by Rachid Lahrach, via Unsplash.