Young people aged 16 to 24 living in the London boroughs of Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets, and Waltham Forest are being given a unique opportunity to help shape the future of two of the capital’s most anticipated new cultural landmarks. V&A East has officially launched its open call for the next cohort of the V&A East Youth Collective, inviting creative, curious, and passionate individuals to collaborate directly with museum staff and professional practitioners.
Applications for the upcoming programme are set to open on Friday, 16th October 2026, with the dedicated application link going live on the V&A East website on that day. Prospective applicants have until Sunday, 1st November 2026, at 11:59 pm to submit their details. 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?
The programme is designed to build a diverse team of young voices who will work hand-in-hand with the V&A East team and commissioned practitioners. Together, participants will explore how to make both the V&A East Museum and the V&A East Storehouse welcoming, inspiring, and culturally relevant spaces for the younger demographic of East London. For anyone with ideas, strong opinions, or a desire to make a tangible difference in their local community, the institution is eager to listen.
Participants accepted into the Youth Collective will embark on an immersive eight-month programme filled with creative workshops, collaborative projects, and institutional trips. Working alongside commissioned practitioners, members will directly influence how V&A East welcomes visitors, connects with local communities, and authentically reflects the lived experiences of young people in the surrounding area. Beyond shaping museum practices, participants can expect to meet new people, develop hands-on creative skills, and gain invaluable behind-the-scenes insight into potential careers within the wider cultural and creative sector.
The upcoming cohort will expand upon key thematic foundations established by previous Youth Collective groups. These themes span a wide range of social and cultural topics, from identity, memory, and belonging to place, access, and decolonisation. To tie these explorations together, the museum is inviting the new cohort to collaboratively share their perspectives on how creative wellbeing and care for young audiences should be embedded directly into the museum spaces. This collaborative effort will culminate in the production of a tangible creative output, which will be publicly available for future museum audiences to experience.
Designed as a dynamic learning exchange, the Youth Collective programme remains flexible, adapting to project needs and the evolving interests of its participants. Co-production sits firmly at the heart of the initiative, ensuring that the direction of the project is shaped collectively by the participants, the visiting practitioners, and the institution itself.
The schedule requires a dedicated commitment from successful applicants. The programme will consist of 16 evening meetings held in person in East London on alternate Thursdays from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm, running between January and August 2027. In addition to these bi-weekly Thursday sessions, participants will also take part in occasional weekend activities, cultural trips, and dedicated days spent experiencing the museum spaces firsthand. The very first session is scheduled for Thursday, 14th January 2027, at 6:00 pm, and will be hosted at the V&A East Storehouse.
V&A East itself represents a dynamic, two-part cultural destination established as a brand-new branch of the world-renowned Victoria and Albert Museum. Comprising two distinct sites—the V&A East Museum and the V&A East Storehouse—the institution is dedicated to celebrating making, fostering creativity, and opening up new possibilities for learning through hands-on practice. Rooted deeply in East London’s rich industrial and cultural heritage, the museum places a strong emphasis on uplifting the contemporary voices that drive modern culture.
Located in Stratford, the V&A East Museum celebrates making and explores the profound power of creativity to drive social change. Conceived in collaboration with young people and anchored in the heritage of East London, the museum examines the forces shaping our modern world through the perspectives of contemporary cultural leaders.
Meanwhile, the V&A East Storehouse, situated nearby on the Stratford Waterfront, offers an entirely different kind of cultural immersion. Housing over half a million creative works and collection objects, the Storehouse is publicly accessible to all visitors. Featuring a series of large-scale collection objects and specially curated displays, the space invites audiences to dive into a rich tapestry of stories, histories, and narratives that hold universal relevance.
To ensure the cohort truly represents the multicultural fabric of East London, organizers are looking to recruit 12 young people who meet the essential criteria, including having the legal right to work in the UK in order to receive payment.
For those interested in learning more about the Youth Collective before submitting an application, V&A East is hosting a free public event on Sunday, 18th October, from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm at the V&A Storehouse. Attendees will have the chance to hear directly from alumni of previous V&A East youth engagement programmes and field practitioners. The afternoon will feature networking opportunities, risograph printing workshops, short film screenings, and engaging panel discussions.
Further information regarding the project, including detailed profiles of the professional practitioners who will lead the programme, will be published on the official V&A East website alongside the launch of the application form on Friday, 16th October 2026. Anyone with specific inquiries about the application process or the programme schedule can reach out directly to the engagement team via email at [email protected].