What are effective ways to involve families and students in museum education advocacy?

1 Why involve families and students?

Families and students are the core audience of museum education, and they have the most direct and personal experience of how museums can enrich their lives. By involving them in museum education advocacy, you can leverage their voices, stories, and perspectives to demonstrate the relevance and impact of museums to policymakers, funders, and the public. Moreover, you can foster a sense of ownership and belonging among families and students, and inspire them to support museums in various ways, such as volunteering, donating, or joining membership programs.

2 How to involve families and students?

There are many ways to involve families and students in museum education advocacy, depending on your goals, resources, and context. For instance, you can invite them to participate in surveys, focus groups, or interviews to collect feedback and data on their museum experiences. Additionally, you can encourage them to share their museum experiences with their peers or social media networks. Furthermore, involve them in the design, implementation, or evaluation of museum education programs or initiatives. Lastly, train them to become museum education advocates or ambassadors to communicate the importance and benefits of museum education. By doing so, you can equip them with skills, knowledge, or resources to represent or speak on behalf of museum education in various platforms or settings.

3 What are the benefits of involving families and students?

Involvement of families and students in museum education advocacy can bring numerous advantages for both museums and their audiences. This includes increasing awareness, recognition, and appreciation of museum education among policymakers, funders, and the public; enhancing the quality, relevance, and diversity of museum education programs or initiatives; fortifying the relationship between museums and their audiences; creating a sense of community, identity, and agency among families and students; and enriching the learning, engagement, and enjoyment of families and students in museum education. Such involvement can also influence decisions, policies, or actions that affect museum education; foster innovation, collaboration, and responsiveness in museum education practice; strengthen trust and loyalty between museums and their audiences; and develop skills, knowledge, and attitudes as lifelong learners and advocates for museums.

4 What are the challenges of involving families and students?

Involving families and students in museum education advocacy can be rewarding and beneficial, however, it can also come with some challenges. It can take time and resources to plan, coordinate, and implement the involvement of families and students. Additionally, ethical, legal, or logistical issues such as consent or confidentiality may arise. The diverse needs, interests, and expectations of families and students can involve conflicts or disagreements with museum educators. Furthermore, resistance, skepticism, or indifference from policymakers, funders, or the public may be encountered when attempting to communicate or influence them. Barriers, obstacles, or risks may also present themselves when advocating for museum education.

5 How to overcome the challenges of involving families and students?

To ensure that families and students are meaningfully involved in museum education advocacy, you should plan ahead and set realistic goals and objectives. Allocate sufficient time, budget, and staff to support the process and outcome. It is also important to communicate and collaborate with families and students throughout the process while respecting their diversity, autonomy, and contributions. Provide appropriate training, guidance, and support for them to participate effectively. Offer recognition, feedback, and rewards for their efforts. Lastly, evaluate and monitor the process and outcome of the involvement of families and students in museum education advocacy. Use the results to improve or sustain the involvement.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?