The young people were a huge hit with everyone at the museum and played a key role in making our community engagement event a real success!
Melton Secondary School Students Volunteer at Museum Open Day
“The students were a breath of fresh air. They were amazing and our visitors loved them. Many visitors came up to me during the event and commented on how lovely and enthusiastic they were.” – Museum Assistant, Fiona Crew
On the 27th of October, six students from Long Field Spencer Academy volunteered their time at Melton Carnegie Museum’s Open Day which welcomed over 150 visitors for a day of creativity, culture and cake!
We are really pleased to be supporting Long Field Spencer Academy with volunteering opportunities for their students. It is a great way to involve young people in the museum and helps us understand how we can make heritage and cultural activities more relevant and interesting to them. The school also recognise the wider wellbeing benefits such as developing social skills and building confidence. Teachers carefully selected students that they felt would benefit most from the opportunity.
In the lead up to the event, students visited the museum for a volunteer induction session. They had a tour of the museum, then met with the museum team to discuss the event, share ideas and agree on volunteer roles.
During the busy open day, the student volunteers spent time meeting and greeting visitors, taking feedback questionnaires, leafleting, serving refreshments and helping people learn about local history alongside the Senior Curator.
Visitors expressed how much better the event was for the students taking part, exclaiming that they brought a brilliant buzz of enthusiasm with them. The museum staff noted how professional and welcoming they were to everyone attending. They were particularly impressed by how they all rose to the challenge when the museum got very busy, remaining calm and continuing to provide a high level of customer service under pressure.
“We left feeling valued, and T and J want to work at the museum! That’s a win right there.” – Long Field Spencer Academy Teacher
This was only the start of their volunteering journey with the museum, they have co-curate their own exhibition!
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