Tides of change: youth, museums and heritage in the climate emergency

Jamie Allan Brown; Kaye Hall

doi:10.4000/14f8u

Tides of change: youth, museums and heritage in the climate emergency

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

This paper explores how youth engagement with heritage in small island communities can advance climate justice through participatory museology. Drawing on the Shared Island Stories project connecting Barbados and Scotland’s Outer Hebrides, it demonstrates how transnational exchanges and intergenerational knowledge-sharing empower young people as climate changemakers. Through critical pedagogy, co-curation and community-led practices, museums become active sites of resilience, challenging colonial legacies and fostering sustainable futures. The paper highlights the transformative potential of youth-led initiatives in reshaping museum roles — from custodians of history to catalysts for environmental and social justice in climate-vulnerable regions.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	210-223
Journal	ICOFOM Study Series
Volume	53
Issue number	1-2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.4000/14f8u
Publication status	Published - 1 Jul 2025

Keywords

Youth
Climate
Decolonisation
Barbados
Scotland

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Access to Document

10.4000/14f8uLicence: CC BY

Cite this

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title = "Tides of change: youth, museums and heritage in the climate emergency",

abstract = "This paper explores how youth engagement with heritage in small island communities can advance climate justice through participatory museology. Drawing on the Shared Island Stories project connecting Barbados and Scotland{\textquoteright}s Outer Hebrides, it demonstrates how transnational exchanges and intergenerational knowledge-sharing empower young people as climate changemakers. Through critical pedagogy, co-curation and community-led practices, museums become active sites of resilience, challenging colonial legacies and fostering sustainable futures. The paper highlights the transformative potential of youth-led initiatives in reshaping museum roles — from custodians of history to catalysts for environmental and social justice in climate-vulnerable regions.",

keywords = "Youth, Climate, Decolonisation, Barbados, Scotland",

author = "Brown, {Jamie Allan} and Kaye Hall",

note = "Funding: Shared Island Stories Between Scotland and the Caribbean: Past, Present, Future is a five-year research project selected by the European Research Council (ERC) and funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) with reference EP/X023036/1.",

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N2 - This paper explores how youth engagement with heritage in small island communities can advance climate justice through participatory museology. Drawing on the Shared Island Stories project connecting Barbados and Scotland’s Outer Hebrides, it demonstrates how transnational exchanges and intergenerational knowledge-sharing empower young people as climate changemakers. Through critical pedagogy, co-curation and community-led practices, museums become active sites of resilience, challenging colonial legacies and fostering sustainable futures. The paper highlights the transformative potential of youth-led initiatives in reshaping museum roles — from custodians of history to catalysts for environmental and social justice in climate-vulnerable regions.

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KW - Climate

KW - Decolonisation

KW - Barbados

KW - Scotland

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Tides of change: youth, museums and heritage in the climate emergency

Abstract

Keywords

UN SDGs

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Shared Island Stories from Scotland: Shared Island Stories from Scotland and the Caribbean, Past, Present, Future

Sea of islands and poetics of relation: rethinking islandness

Cite this

Tides of change: youth, museums and heritage in the climate emergency

Abstract

Keywords

UN SDGs

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Projects

Shared Island Stories from Scotland: Shared Island Stories from Scotland and the Caribbean, Past, Present, Future

Research output

Sea of islands and poetics of relation: rethinking islandness

Cite this