Am I Bothered? Teenagers and Museums
Are you a teenager who visits museums? Or do you have a teenager in your family who likes to go? Or refuses to go? What makes museums appealing to teenagers? Let us know.
Are you a teenager who visits museums? Or do you have a teenager in your family who likes to go? Or refuses to go? What makes museums appealing to teenagers? Let us know.
March 21st, 2008 at 6:05 am
Hi from Canberra, Australia’s capital.
Bravo parents braving museums with roaring rugrats. It pays off in the end. My 3 visited museums till sports won out. Our eldest knew histories of military conflict from the Australian War Memorial http://www.awm.gov.au/ Aged 10, during Iraq Invasion, he stunned his teacher with, “Miss, whether they find weapons or not it’s about oil. Why depose Hussein over Robert Mugabe or another dictator? Because Saddam’s sitting on oil. George Bush is just like Winston Churchill. He wants to secure oil in the Middle East for his forces.”
My daughter, at 7, gazed at tiny black booties & dress at the new National Museum of Australia. “How come people were so nasty to the mummy even though a dingo killed baby Azaria? If people make a mistake like that they should try and put things right”. Her sense of social justice grew from then on. Now 14 she’s doing community development work in Vietnam this September.
It’s hard getting teens through museum doors. However Canberra teens have warm memories of NMA and other institutions where their Year 10 or 12 Formals are held. They also engage with politicians in podcast debates. My sports fiend son, now 16, and I recently enjoyed the ‘Clash of the Codes; Rugby Union v League Debate’ and ‘100 years of League’ Exhibition at NMA. Tomorrow we’ll be giggling at ‘the Bald Archies’, (the comic alternative to the Archibald, our national portrait prize).
If tiny tots experience museums before play station prevails, they’ll keep coming back.
Cheers,
Joan
September 25th, 2008 at 4:41 pm
the fact that few teens go to museums is to often blamed on young people not wanting to go . in fact some museums state in the back of there guide booklets that unacompanied under 16 or 18s are not permited.yet others seem to suddenly “remember “thay have this policy when young people approch the door. thay may not desplay a no entry notice but thay are playing the policy equivalent of the youth noise,and young people can read the unwelcoming subtext and know when there not wanted. sadly such places are very comfortable with the status quo.the best in the sector,such as young tate, are a glimps of what all could and should be.(or have there public funds revued!)
please note, age descrimination is illegal,and that includes teens !