A meaningful museum for young people? Sharing insights from the field study

Current discussions about museum institutions cover a range of issues, including technological and societal changes, as well as political and economic aspects. A common aspect of all of them is the notion that museums are not only places for storing and exhibiting heritage artifacts, but also places that represent different perspectives and are perceived as meaningful. Among the various indicated matters, one important research stream concerns how young people perceive museums and other cultural spaces: as open, friendly, and inclusive, or, on the contrary. This topic remains open and worth exploration. Hence, this paper aims to explore and analyze the preliminary results of a study conducted across three departments of the National Museum in Krakow (Poland), selected non-probabilistically. The three-stage research procedure included desk research, overt observations, and focused group interviews. The main idea of the study was to explore how young people aged 13 to 18 experience museum visits and what is especially meaningful to them. After presenting the general research assumptions and research procedure, the preliminary insights are also discussed. As already noted, young people can be interested in and engaged with museum programs, yet issues such as the appropriate time or place often pose a barrier to participation. The museum’s activities reflect its efforts to encourage youth participation in its programs and to shape its offerings actively.