Over the past 18 months I have been lucky enough to complete the Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award with the help of the team at Locomotion. I wanted to share a little bit about what I have done with the museum.
When I first enquired about volunteering at Locomotion, there were no youth volunteers and through the time I have been with the museum, we have begun to develop a youth team. I have had the amazing opportunity to help shape what this team looks like and it has given me the opportunity to take on a variety of tasks progressing a wide range of skills. Alongside my youth team peers, we have not only been able to work with visitors on the museum floor helping with engagement activities, but we have also had the opportunity to take on some projects as a team.
We have been involved in a local community project through the Landscape Partnership Programme Discover Brightwater, working alongside artists to create cyanotype artwork activities for our visitors. Most excitingly, we got to help organise and run an event, Loco Lates: The Golden Age. A first in a series of Loco Lates evening events we are hoping to run at the museum. This was a fantastic experience, and it was a very proud moment when we had completed it.
Along with the volunteering work I have completed at Locomotion, I also played the violin in the Tees Valley Youth Orchestra and rowed for my school as part of completing the skill and physical sections of the Duke of Edinburgh respectively. I also got to go on a two-day, self-sustainable walking and camping expedition in the North York Moors—a great, although tiring, experience and a memory I will never forget. I would urge anyone under 25 to go out and get involved in one of the three levels of the Duke of Edinburgh Award. I have learnt so many new skills, met lots of new people and have overall developed as a person thanks to taking part—it is truly an incredible experience.
Join us at Locomotion to complete your volunteering section as you will get so many different experiences as part of your work here and everyone is incredibly friendly. If you are under 25 years old, I would very much like to invite you to join us in the Locomotion Youth Team. Looking ahead into the future, we have many exciting plans as a youth team so it is the perfect time to join. Following on from successfully completing the Bronze award, I am moving on to complete the Gold award with the museum.
If you are interested in finding out more about the Locomotion Youth Team or getting involved, contact Eileen Atkins, Engagement and Programming Manager, eileen.atkins@locomotion.org.uk