Engaging with Young People in Heritage Contexts: design-led innovation approaches to co-creation within the cultural sector

This chapter presents design-led innovation approaches for supporting the participation of young people in heritage-based research contexts. In seeking to re-position and amplify youth voices in cultural heritage debates, these approaches are informed by the principles of studio-based pedagogy – based on exploration, experimentation, and collaboration. The authors compare two examples of co-creation ‘in action’: the first investigates connections to heritage with young people living in the Northern and Western Isles of Scotland set against a backdrop of increased youth migration; the second, explores traditional craft practices with young artisans in Malaysia, with a focus on the challenges faced surrounding the precarity of craft in Malaysia’s wider creative and cultural economy. Whilst diverse in context, these design-led approaches reveal common themes, across, scale, cultures and geographies, which include youth migration from rural locations; connections to cultural assets; and tensions surrounding the commodification of cultural heritage. For young people living in the Northern and Western Isles, this led to insights into their experiences and perceptions surrounding the impact of tourism within their communities. For young people engaging in craft education in Malaysia, the approach supported co-creation through the exploration of vernacular materials. In both cases, the authors evidence the contribution of design-led innovation towards fostering co-creation, collaboration, and creative capacity in cultural sector contexts