Youth & Education
Education is an important tool in connecting Maidstone’s Museums with the community, and the Museums play an integral role in the educational development of young people.
MMF, in an effort to make those connections, welcomes young people to join us as Friends, contribute to our efforts, and use the Museums to mutual benefit (see Join Us).
We have established a partnership with a local secondary school, which enables us to offer all young people an involvement in the Museums, join welcome and other special events, and participate volunteering schemes – all this through a Youth Ambassadors’ scheme.
For a number of years now a representative from the education community has held a seat on the MMF Board.
This is to ensure that the Board understands how MMF can deliver for the needs of young people, and can assist the Museums in ensuring that their services are relevant – and meet the needs of – education.
Guy MacDonald from Invicta Grammar School currently holds this Board position.
The Heritage Design Challenge
Maidstone Museums’ Foundation was very pleased to announce its ‘Heritage Design Challenge’ for 2021. This was a competition loosely based on the Design Museum’s ‘Design Ventura’ competition and it was a partnership project with Maidstone Museums.
The challenge required students working as individuals, or working as a team, to take inspiration from objects in the Museums and develop a prototype product that could be sold in the Museum shop for £10 or less. The winners were notified in May 2022. The top 10 entries had their work exhibited at the Museum during June, and then the exhibition transfers to the MMF Friends’ shop in Fremlin Walk from 5th August. Winning entries are also on this MMF Website (see Projects page).
The winning prize was £200 to purchase the resources to enable a small batch production of the item to be produced for sale in the Museum Shop and delivered to the shop by July. A percentage of any future sales will also go to the winning school.
The competition was open to both Primary and Secondary Schools.
Maidstone Museums’ Foundation is very pleased to announce the ‘Heritage Design Challenge.’ This is a competition loosely based on the Design Museum’s ‘Design Ventura’ competition and it is a partnership project with Maidstone Museums.
The challenge will require students working as individuals or working as a team, taking inspiration from objects in the Museums and developing a prototype product that could be sold in the Museum shop for £10 or less. The top 10 entries will be invited to attend a presentation pitch to the judging panel in April, from which a winning design will be chosen and the winners notified by May 2022. The top 10 entries will also have their work exhibited in the MMF Pop-Up shop in Fremlin Walk, on the MMF Website and at the Museum for a limited period. The winning prize will be £200 to purchase the resources to enable a small batch production of the item to be produced for sale in the Museum Shop and delivered to the shop by July 2022. A percentage of any future sales will also go to the winning school.
The competition is open to both Primary and Secondary Schools.
We are really hoping that we can encourage young people to engage with their cultural heritage and also enjoy the creativity and craft skills involved with a return to designing and making within schools.
Entries may be made by printing off at A3 and handing in to the MMF Pop-Up shop or handing in to the reception at the Museum.
Please download the booklet opposite for details.
Closing Date for Entries 1st April 2022
We look forward to seeing the entries!
Entry Form:
To enter The Heritage Design Challenge please complete the online form below and then submit your four A3 documents, digital or paper, to the Museum as instructed in the Challenge PDF booklet:
REMEMBER to submit your prototype design and product group documents to the Museum!
Partnership with Invicta Grammar School
In 2014 MMF forged a strong partnership with Invicta Grammar School, in Maidstone. The education staff in the school are extremely supportive of this partnership, to establish the relevance of the curriculum to the Museums’ collections, presentations, and activities. The Museums are promoted at a number of events for new school entrants and at other information evenings involving the wider public. New parents are actively encouraged to join MMF as single or family members when enrolling with the school. Furthermore, the school’s choir has performed carols for MMF Friends at the Museum every December since 2014 – a wonderful seasonal event.
A key aspect of the partnership between young people and MMF is the appointment of a team of Youth Ambassadors; there are currently seven in post. Their role acts as a bridge between MMF and all schools. Indeed, they are leading the work to seek the involvement of other secondary schools in the area. See the Youth Ambassadors’ scheme.
Invicta Grammar School, MMF and the Youth Ambassadors continue to make presentations to teachers in other schools to encourage the consideration of additional partnerships with MMF.
If you are a teacher or student at a local school and wish to know more about MMF’s Youth Agenda and how you can contribute please contact us at info@maidstonemuseumsfriends.org.uk
