Abstract

An increasing number of heritage institutions have developed practices that could be considered participatory as they try to involve users and stakeholders in their activities. The main goal of these practices is to strengthen the relationship between the museum and its visitors, respond to the needs of the local community, enrich the quality of content, and become more relevant to a new and diverse audience. Contemporary cultural policies especially advocate for greater inclusion and the empowerment of young people with the basic idea that their social exclusion can be reduced by increasing self-confidence and skills through continuous cultural participation. The goal of this work was to investigate the opportunities and challenges of involving young people in participatory heritage projects within museums and to show how such activities can have a transformative value and serve for their growth and emancipation. This study describes an action research project involving the creation of an exhibition with a group of young people in the local museum in Zaprešić, Croatia and evaluates its social impacts. Within the implemented project, young participants designed and created an exhibition on local heritage through various workshops with experts that focused on acquiring new knowledge and skills. The results indicate that the participatory process itself is just as important as the end product and can lead to a number of positive impacts on the personal and social development of young people.