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Young Cultural Creators

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Young Cultural Creators logoIn November 2005, the BPMA took part in our first ever Young Cultural Creators (YCC) scheme. We have now worked with the same school in 2006, and plan to work with four secondary schools in 2007.

YCC projects bring together schools, libraries and archives/museums to help stimulate young people’s reading and creativity. See some of the work that has been done in the Kids Gallery


What is YCC?

In a typical YCC project, a school class will begin by visiting a local library to do some research, using books and the internet. They also find out more about library services.

Photograph of pupils working on their Young Cutural Creators stamp designs at The Royal Mail ArchiveThe next stage is a visit to an ‘inspiration site’, such as a museum, gallery or archive. At the archive/museum, they will have a workshop with a children’s author, using original material from the archive/museum’s collections as inspiration for their own creative writing.

The class will then have a follow-up workshop, again with the author, to talk about and polish their writing.

At the BPMA, we have worked with an artist and an author, proving how flexible the YCC model can be.

YCC is now coordinated by MLA London, the regional development agency for archives, libraries and museums. The British Council are also helping to develop YCC as an international programme.


YCC with St Alban's School

We first did YCC through funding from 2005's Archive Awareness Campaign in London. Our project was chosen as one of two feature projects for the YCC celebration at London’s City Hall.

We worked with a Year 6 class from St Alban's School, just a short walk from the BPMA in central London. Our ‘creator’ was the artist, author and stamp designer Chris Wormell. Our library partner was Holborn Library.

We found YCC such a good way to work, we did it again in 2006 and in 2007! Find out what we did in all three projects...

YCC in Islington 2007

We got new funding to work with four secondary schools in 2007. This time, we worked with award-winning author Linda Newbery, and four Islington libraries. This time, it was all about creative writing. Find out how we took pupils back to London in the Blitz...