Drawn from across the UK, the 17 new Heritage Ambassadors will help decide how money is awarded through HLF’s new £10million Kick the Dust funding programme. They will also work with HLF to find ways of increasing the number of young people visiting and getting involved with heritage.

Jo Reilly, Head of Participation and Learning at HLF, said: “We know that children often get a lot from heritage by visiting sites and attractions with schools or their families, but these opportunities decrease dramatically during teenage years and typically don’t return until later in life. Kick the Dust is about bridging that gap. It will create ambitious, youth-focused projects aimed at transforming how heritage organisations involve young people.”

Making an impact

On 10 and 11 June, the 17 recruits were brought together for the first time for an induction weekend.

[quote=George, 17]"We can have a genuine positive impact on getting young people involved in celebrating and preserving the UK's rich heritage."[/quote]

In the picturesque locations of the Geffrye Museum and Woodberry Wetlands in London, the group got to know each other, and put their collective mind power to the tasks that lie ahead. Over the weekend, the group devised ways of assessing which projects they felt to be the most beneficial to young people, and also discussed ways of promoting youth involvement in heritage through creative campaigning.

George, 17, said of the experience: “I’ve come away feeling really confident that we can have a genuine positive impact on getting young people involved in celebrating and preserving the UK's rich heritage.” 

Keep up to date with the Heritage Ambassadors’ progress on the HLF website, and through #DustKickers on social media.