A project to give young people a say in how museums could be made more attractive to their generation is being launched in Hampshire with the help of a £24,700 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).

Youngsters will be involved in Basingstoke, Winchester and Gosport. They will discuss what could be done to get more in their age group to visit museums and they will work on local heritage projects to make sure they are explained in a way that is relevant and accessible to their generation.

The project – run by the Hampshire Museums Trust – builds on a successful pilot run at Basingstoke which showed the value of involving young people at an early stage with the aim of engaging with those who would not normally be involved in heritage activities.

In all three towns Young People’s Panels will be set up for youngsters aged 14 to 20 drawn from a range of local organisations. In Basingstoke the work will centre on either the Willis Museum or the Milestones Museum; in Winchester on the Great Hall; and in Gosport on the Discovery Centre.

The HLF grant, given under the Fund’s Young Roots programme, will be spent on bringing groups of young people together, collecting their ideas, and enabling their work to be exhibited and celebrated in three separate events. The project has won the support of the Prince’s Trust and the Hampshire Youth Service and the young people taking part will be able to register as Millennium Volunteers so as to gain recognition for the time they have spent.

Executive Member for Recreation and Heritage, Councillor Margaret Snaith, said: "The grant presents us with a fantastic opportunity to develop our youth project. It now means we can develop our pilot scheme of the last year into something that will engage and enthuse young people all over Hampshire. This new funding will enable them to develop, produce and present their fresh ideas in to the public arena and will make a lasting contribution to how museums are perceived and presented in Hampshire by all age groups."

For the Heritage Lottery Fund, South East England Region Manager Sheena Vick said: “This is an important project that aims to enthuse the younger generation in the heritage of where they live, shows them that their opinions matter, and helps to keep the museum professionals informed as to how they can best reach a new audience.”

A separate topic will be discussed by each of the three panels: in Basingstoke the aim is to develop a sense of belonging through discussing the built environment and how it influences the young people. In Winchester they will look at traditions, mythology and superstitions surrounding Halloween and how these traditions have changed over time; in Gosport the youngsters will discuss the contrast of traditional Christmas and contemporary youth culture and music.