Young residents across East London are being given a rare opportunity to influence the direction, culture, and community programming of some of the capital’s newest cultural spaces. V&A East has officially announced that applications will soon open for the next cohort of its Youth Collective, inviting individuals aged 16 to 24 who live in the boroughs of Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets, and Waltham Forest to step forward and make their voices heard.
The initiative aims to answer a fundamental question: What should a museum and collections space look, feel, and sound like for young people in East London? To find out, the institution is assembling a diverse team of curious, creative, and passionate young individuals to work hand-in-hand with the V&A East team and various commissioned practitioners. Through a collaborative process, participants will help ensure that both the V&A East Museum and the V&A East Storehouse serve as welcoming, inspiring, and relevant environments for the younger generation of East Londoners.
Applications for the upcoming cohort are scheduled to open on Friday, October 16, 2026, with the dedicated application link going live on the museum’s official page on that day. Prospective applicants have until Sunday, November 1, 2026, at 11:59 PM to submit their materials. For those eager to make a tangible difference in their local community, share their opinions, and bring fresh ideas to the table, the institution encourages early preparation ahead of the autumn window.
The Youth Collective programme is designed to be an immersive, eight-month journey running from January through August 2027. Selected participants will take part in a series of creative workshops, museum visits, and collaborative sessions alongside commissioned practitioners. The curriculum will build directly upon the themes explored by previous cohorts—spanning topics from identity, memory, and belonging to place, access, and decolonisation. A core focus of this upcoming cycle will be exploring how institutions can embed creative wellbeing and genuine care for young audiences directly into their physical and programmatic spaces.
This collaborative effort will culminate in the production of a public-facing creative output, ensuring that the participants’ insights and perspectives are shared directly with museum visitors and the wider public. Rather than following a rigid top-down structure, the programme is tailored dynamically to project needs and the evolving interests of the participants. At its core, the initiative operates as a mutual learning exchange between young Londoners, professional practitioners, and the museum institution itself, placing true co-production at the heart of its operations.
The time commitment for selected members involves attending 16 evening meetings held on alternating Thursdays from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM. These in-person sessions will take place in East London, beginning with the first official meeting on Thursday, January 14, 2027, at the V&A East Storehouse. In addition to the regular Thursday evening gatherings, the programme will feature occasional weekend activities, specialized field trips, and dedicated days spent exploring the museum sites.
The overarching project is part of the broader vision behind V&A East, a dynamic, two-part cultural destination established as a prominent new branch of the Victoria and Albert Museum. Designed to celebrate the power of making and foster creative possibilities, V&A East is deeply rooted in the rich industrial and cultural heritage of East London, intentionally placing contemporary voices and local narratives at the forefront of its mission.
The initiative spans two distinct locations in Stratford. The V&A East Museum, situated in the heart of Stratford, is built around the idea of celebrating making and the capacity of creativity to drive societal change. Created in close consultation with young people, the museum is dedicated to exploring the forces shaping our world through the perspectives of those who lead contemporary culture. Just a short distance away near the Stratford Waterfront sits the V&A East Storehouse, a groundbreaking facility that houses over half a million creative works and collection objects, making them publicly accessible to visitors of all backgrounds. Featuring large-scale collection objects and curated displays, the Storehouse invites audiences to immerse themselves in a vast repository of human stories and cultural histories.
Organizers are looking to recruit a cohort of 12 young people who genuinely reflect the cultural and social diversity of East London. While specific criteria apply to ensure representation from the target boroughs, applicants must also ensure they hold the legal right to work in the UK to receive payment for their participation.
For those interested in learning more before submitting an application, V&A East is hosting a free public event on Sunday, October 18, between 1:00 PM and 5:00 PM at the V&A Storehouse. The afternoon event offers an opportunity to hear directly from alumni of previous V&A East youth engagement programmes, as well as visiting practitioners working within the cultural sector. Attendees can expect a vibrant afternoon featuring networking opportunities, hands-on risograph printing workshops, short film screenings, and engaging panel discussions.
Additional details regarding the project, including comprehensive information about the commissioned practitioners who will lead the upcoming sessions, will be published alongside the launch of the application portal on Friday, October 16, 2026. Prospective applicants with questions or queries regarding the application process can reach out directly to the engagement team via email at [email protected].