Young people aged 16 to 24 living in Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets, and Waltham Forest are being given a unique opportunity to help shape the future of one of London’s most prominent cultural developments. V&A East has officially announced the upcoming recruitment drive for the next cohort of the V&A East Youth Collective, inviting passionate, curious, and creative residents to influence how the institution connects with its local communities.
Applications for the eight-month programme are set to open on Friday, 16th October 2026, with the application link going live on the V&A East website on that day. Aspiring participants have until Sunday, 1st November 2026, at 11:59 pm to submit their applications. The initiative seeks to answer a fundamental question: what should a museum and collections space look, feel, and sound like for young people in East London?
To explore this core inquiry, V&A East is building a collaborative team of young individuals who will work directly alongside the museum’s core staff and commissioned practitioners. Together, the cohort will play a pivotal role in ensuring that the newly established V&A East Museum and the V&A East Storehouse are welcoming, inspiring, and culturally relevant spaces for the youth of East London. Organisers have emphasised that anyone with strong ideas, fresh opinions, and a desire to make a tangible difference in their local community is encouraged to apply.
The Youth Collective programme is structured as an intensive learning exchange built on the principles of co-production, where participants, practitioners, and institutional staff share knowledge and direction on an equal footing. Over the course of the eight-month initiative, participants will take part in a series of creative workshops, museum visits, and collaborative projects. These activities are designed not only to influence how V&A East welcomes visitors and reflects the lived experiences of young people in the area, but also to help participants develop their own creative skills and gain valuable, firsthand insight into careers within the broader cultural and heritage sector.
The curriculum for the upcoming cohort will build directly upon the themes identified by previous Youth Collective groups. Past discussions have traversed a wide spectrum of critical subjects, ranging from identity, memory, and belonging to place, access, and decolonisation. Building on these foundations, the new cohort will be invited to collaboratively explore how V&A East can effectively embed creative wellbeing and active care for young audiences within its physical and conceptual spaces. This collaborative exploration will culminate in the production of a tangible creative output, which will be shared publicly with museum audiences.
Rather than following a rigid syllabus, the programme will remain adaptable to the evolving interests, project needs, and thematic priorities that emerge organically throughout the course. This flexible framework ensures that the young participants maintain a genuine sense of ownership and direction over the project’s outcomes.
The schedule for the programme is designed to accommodate the routines of young people in education or early employment. Participants will be expected to attend 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 between January and August 2027. In addition to the regular Thursday evening gatherings, the schedule will feature occasional weekend activities, cultural trips, and dedicated days spent behind the scenes within the museum spaces. The very first session is scheduled to take place on Thursday, 14th January 2027, at 6:00 pm at the V&A East Storehouse.
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 expand creative possibilities, the institution supports critical and conceptual learning through hands-on making. Rooted deeply in the rich heritage of East London, V&A East places a deliberate emphasis on amplifying the voices that lead contemporary culture.
The first of its two sites, the V&A East Museum, is located in Stratford and is dedicated to celebrating making and exploring the power of creativity to drive social change. Conceived in collaboration with young people and anchored in East London’s distinct local heritage, the museum examines the forces shaping the modern world through the perspectives of contemporary cultural voices.
The second site, the V&A East Storehouse, is situated nearby at the Stratford Waterfront. Unlike traditional, closed-off museum archives, the Storehouse houses over half a million creative works and collection objects in a space that is publicly accessible to all visitors. Featuring large collection objects and meticulously curated displays, the facility is designed to immerse audiences in a rich tapestry of stories and historical narratives relevant to diverse communities.
Organisers are looking to recruit a diverse group of 12 young people who genuinely reflect the multicultural fabric of East London. Prospective applicants must meet the regional residency criteria, covering the boroughs of Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets, or Waltham Forest, and be within the 16 to 24 age bracket. Additionally, participants must possess the legal right to work in the UK in order to receive payment for their participation in the programme.
For those interested in learning more about the initiative before submitting an application, V&A East is hosting a special, free public event on Sunday, 18th October, from 1:00 pm to 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, as well as practitioners currently active in the cultural field. The event will feature networking opportunities, risograph printing workshops, short film screenings, and engaging panel discussions.
Comprehensive details regarding the programme, including specific information about the commissioned practitioners who will lead the project, will be published on the official V&A East website alongside the application link on Friday, 16th October 2026. Individuals with questions or queries about the application process can reach out to the team via email at [email protected].