On 21 April, the Learning and Access team @LeedsMuseums hosted a #EdSkillsShare session on the GEM Twitter account. Thanks for nattering last week, we had immense fun, and hope you did too. Some things we found out or chatted about are below…

  • The situation at the moment is potentially a good opportunity to try new things, and experiment with how we engage audiences. Never tried using live streaming, digital resources or social media for learning before? Now could be a chance to try! However, people are finding stumbling blocks with technology and skills.
  • Museums are looking to repurpose ready-made content for digital situations. How can you shapeshift existing workshop, trail or family activity content online? People are doing this through different social media channels.
  • It is difficult to know what parents and staff teaching remotely might want in this situation and how they might want it. It’s a best guess. Experiment and see what works for you. Every organisation will be slightly different.
  • We are starting to have the conversations about reopening and what the world will look like afterwards. What have to tried now that might stick around in the long term? What tools an skills would you need to do that? And, do we want to return to the world as it was?

There was interest in Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) models of practice. Lots of adult and children’s social care teams across the country are starting to use this as an operating model. In Leeds, this has been led by Mick Ward, who wrote a great blog post on it here:

https://www.nurturedevelopment.org/blog/abcd-practice/proliferation-the-implementation-of-abcd-in-leeds-part-1/

As Leeds Museums and Galleries, we are feeling our way through what this looks like in an arts and cultural setting. It goes beyond co-creation and co-curation to mutual benefit; however, these is a recognition that we still have to provide a level of service too, that not everything can be ABCD-ed. Many services are doing great work on moving on to deeper levels beyond co-creation, Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery, and Derby Museums both cropped up in conversation.

There was also chats about our young volunteer programmes with @PresParty @LeedsCityMuseum, and about our #CareersForAll programme supporting young people with additional needs into meaningful work experience placements and taster days around Science (in partnership with Natural History Museum and the Eranda Rothschild Foundation).

Finally, in taking over Twitter we developed our own reflective practice. We had never done anything with all of us involved in a takeover before. Being a large team it posed a few challenges for communication behind the scenes – who’s answering that question? Can you cut that text down, it’s Twitter, not an essay?! But we got there in the end and learnt things along the way!

We’re always open for a chat, cup of tea (or coffee) in hand, just give us a bell! Take care and stay safe x