Young residents aged 16 to 24 living in the boroughs of Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets, and Waltham Forest are being given a unique opportunity to help shape the future of two major new cultural institutions in East London. The V&A East has officially announced a call for applications for the next cohort of the V&A East Youth Collective, a collaborative programme designed to put young voices at the center of museum programming, design, and community outreach.
Applications for the prestigious initiative will open on Friday, October 16, 2026, with an application link going live on the museum’s official web page on that date. Aspiring participants have until Sunday, November 1, 2026, at 11:59 pm to submit their applications. Selected candidates will join a diverse team of curious, creative, and passionate peers to work directly with the V&A East team and commissioned creative practitioners.
The initiative poses a fundamental question to the next generation of East Londoners: What should a museum and collections space look, feel, and sound like for young people in the area? By addressing this question head-on, the Youth Collective aims to ensure that both the V&A East Museum and the V&A East Storehouse remain welcoming, inspiring, and deeply relevant spaces for local communities. Organizers are encouraging anyone with bold ideas, strong opinions, or a desire to make a tangible difference in their local community to apply.
Inside the Youth Collective Programme
The selected cohort will embark on an intensive, immersive eight-month programme running from January to August 2027. Participants will attend 16 in-person evening meetings held on alternating Thursdays from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm in East London, supplemented by occasional weekend activities, cultural trips, and dedicated days inside the museum spaces.
Working collaboratively alongside professional practitioners, members of the Youth Collective will take part in hands-on creative workshops and exploratory trips designed to influence how V&A East welcomes visitors, connects with local communities, and reflects the authentic lived experiences of young people in the region. Beyond creative skill development, the programme offers participants valuable insights into careers within the cultural and creative sectors, while providing a platform to meet new people and expand their professional networks.
The upcoming programme will build directly upon the critical themes identified by previous Youth Collective cohorts. These include topics ranging from identity, memory, and belonging to place, access, and decolonization. To tie these interconnected discussions together, the new cohort will be invited to collaboratively explore how creative wellbeing and care for young audiences can be deeply embedded into the fabric of the museum spaces.
This collaborative exploration will culminate in the production of a tangible creative output, which will be made publicly available to museum audiences. Rather than following a rigid top-down structure, the Youth Collective programme will remain fluid, adapting to project needs and the evolving interests and themes that emerge throughout the course. Organizers emphasize that co-production lies at the very heart of the initiative, functioning as a genuine learning exchange between the participants, the commissioned practitioners, and the institution itself.
Rooted in East London’s Cultural Heritage
The V&A East represents a dynamic, two-part cultural destination established as a prominent new branch of the Victoria and Albert Museum. Designed to celebrate making and foster creative possibilities, the initiative supports critical and conceptual learning through hands-on making. Both sites are deeply rooted in East London’s rich industrial and cultural heritage, with an intentional focus on amplifying the voices that lead contemporary culture.
The V&A East Museum, located in Stratford, is dedicated to celebrating making and exploring the power of creativity to drive societal change. Created in close collaboration with young people, the museum examines the forces shaping our world through the lens of local contemporary culture.
Just a short distance away near the Stratford Waterfront stands the V&A East Storehouse. This innovative facility houses over half a million creative works and collection objects, making them publicly accessible to all visitors in an unprecedented way. Featuring a series of large collection objects and meticulously curated displays, the Storehouse offers audiences an immersive journey through a vast and diverse repository of stories and narratives relevant to communities of all backgrounds.
Programme Details, Eligibility, and Launch Event
The programme is searching for 12 young people who genuinely reflect the rich diversity of East London. To be eligible, applicants must be between the ages of 16 and 24 and reside in one of four specified boroughs: Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets, or Waltham Forest. Additionally, applicants must hold the legal right to work in the UK to receive any associated payments linked to the project.
The very first session of the new cohort is scheduled to take place on Thursday, January 14, 2027, at 6:00 pm at the V&A East Storehouse. Prospective applicants with questions regarding the application process or programme requirements can reach out directly to the organizers via email at [email protected].
For those interested in learning more about the initiative 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. Attendees will have the opportunity to hear directly from alumni of previous V&A East youth engagement programmes and field practitioners. The afternoon will feature networking opportunities, hands-on risograph printing workshops, short film screenings, and engaging panel talks.
Further details regarding the programme, including specific announcements about the professional practitioners who will lead the project, will be published on the official V&A East website when applications open on Friday, October 16.