Young People - The Museum of English Rural Life

Romany & Traveller Heritage Day 2025

Anonymous painting showing Gypsy encampment, with waggons.

Join us for a day of music, film, poetry, tours, talks, displays and family fun as we celebrate Gypsy, Roma and Traveller History Month! Completely free and no need to book. Explore heritage in our new gallery The Long Road and with experts from the Romany and Traveller Family History Society. Dive into the Robert [...]

Panel event: Envisioning the future? – POSTPONED

During Reading Climate Festival, adults and young people aged 14+ can join us for these events which explore the potential of agroforestry (farming and forestry) to mitigate climate change and enhance biodiversity with Dr. Jen Clarke (anthropologist, artist and educator, leading the arts research on a multi-disciplinary project about Agroforestry in the UK.) This Panel […]

Our Green Stories Youth Workshops: Life on Land

Free workshops designed for 14-18 year olds Be inspired by our environmental responsibility ‘Our Green Stories’ campaign to create your own mini movies. Stop motion animation is a film making technique – through a sequence of small movements and individually photographed frames, objects appear to move on their own. Taking UN Sustainable Development Goal 15 […]

Youth Panel

Young people playing an interactive game in the MERL galleries

Our Youth Panel, for young people aged 14 – 18, offers collective work experience opportunities across The MERL and Reading Museum as part of Museums Partnership Reading’s youth programme. We meet monthly to work on a variety of exciting projects which are great for developing a range of transferable skills. Our panel members influence current [...]

Object Explorer Workshops, ages 11-18

A young person looking at an object in the MERL galleries

INVESTIGATING AND REIMAGINING MUSEUM OBJECTS What can The MERL collections tell us about lives of young people living in the countryside in the past? Join us and explore museum objects up close, discover their story, imagine and reimagine past lives. Share and tell the story of an object of your choice in a pop up […]

Youth Workshop: Garment Upcycling

part of a recycled garment in an embroidery hoop with flowers being sewn on

Fast fashion is leading to tonnes of clothing being discarded daily which has a huge impact on the environment. At this workshop with fashion and textiles artist, Anurita Chandola, you will learn how to mend, re-sparkle, personalise and transform your pre-loved clothing by learning different embroidery techniques. You will also learn to apply different techniques [...]

Steel band and carnival dance workshops with CultureMix Arts

Dancers in brightly coloured carnival costume

Join us for these special Steel Band and Carnival dance workshops for families and young people! Steel Band workshop 11am - Family workshop for children aged 5+ accompanied by an adult BOOK FAMILY BAND WORKSHOP 12pm - Workshop for young people aged 11 - 18 only (no accompanying adult required) BOOK YOUTH BAND WORKSHOP Explore [...]

The Acquisitions Panel

Setting the scene Reading, UK. The local museum is contacted by a woman who has found a musical instrument made out of a biscuit tin in a box of things that belonged to her great-grandfather. The biscuit tin is from the famous Huntley & Palmers factory in Reading. Perhaps the museum might want it? Her [...]