About the Museum of Youth Culture
We are an emerging museum dedicated to the styles, sounds and social movements innovated by young people over the last 100 years.
Championing the impact of youth on modern society, the Museum of Youth Culture’s collection incorporates photographs, ephemera, objects and oral histories celebrating our shared youth culture history. From the bomb-site Bicycle racers in post-war 1940s London, to the Acid House ravers of 1980s Northern England, the Museum of Youth Culture empowers the extraordinary everyday stories of growing up in Britain.
Get in touch:
You can visit our exhibition I'm Not Okay at the Barbican Library in the Barbican Centre.
We currently don't have a museum space. Keep an eye on our socials or join our mailing list for updates!
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Our Manifesto
What is it like growing up in Britain? For the last 8 years the Museum of Youth Culture has posed this question to people across the United Kingdom. Tracing youth cultures past and present, our collection journeys through the tale of youth from the safety of our teenage bedroom through to first jobs and first loves before eventually setting off into the night.
We have all been young once, but how do we perceive the generations of young people that come after us? Much of society’s discourse around teenagers has been shaped by media representations and as a result, according to a 2011 study by the Intergenerational Foundation, British people have the most negative perception of their youth compared to other European nations. Maybe this is why we are the first to open a museum dedicated to young people.
The Museum of Youth Culture aims to challenge the negative perceptions and step beyond the headlines, considering that whilst a lot has changed over the generations, we all experience the formative highs and lows of adolescence as we take our first steps towards adulthood. Young people have always been at the forefront of change, whether societal, cultural or technological, and it’s time that we champion this incredible history and inspire the next generation to continue to break the mould.
Who better to throw a party than those hell-bent on preserving, documenting and celebrating the UK’s penchant for pushing back against a system. Welcome, not-for-profit organisation, the Museum of Youth Culture!
Dazed & Confused
Made Possible With Generous Support from
With Thanks To Our Public Funders
Since 2016, our public funders have helped us transform our collections and move towards opening the Museum of Youth Culture. We are incredibly proud of the institutions that we have work with over the last five years and grateful for the support that they have given us, acknowledging youth culture as an important part of our cultural heritage.
We want to thank our funders; National Lottery Heritage Fund, City Bridge Foundation, Arts Council England, Brent 2020 London Borough of Culture, Groundworks, The National Lottery Community Fund, Southwark Council, Association of Independent Museums, and The National Archives.