Norfolk Museums Service's youth engagement programme, known as 'Kick the Dust', has worked with 6,128 individual young people since its launch in 2018, delivering 20,039 high-quality interventions across the county, according to figures presented to the Norfolk Joint Museums Committee on 24 July 2026.

The programme targets young people aged 13 to 25 who face multiple barriers to engaging with heritage, including those who are NEET (not in education, employment or training), have mental health challenges, or are outside mainstream education. Around 27% of current participants are NEET and 31% are dealing with mental health issues.

A key strand of the programme is its paid traineeship scheme, which offers five placements in 2026-27 across King's Lynn, Great Yarmouth and Norwich. Participants work ten hours a week for at least ten weeks alongside museum professionals and are paid the living wage. The programme has already helped some participants secure permanent roles within Norfolk Museums Service.

Funding for Kick the Dust comes from Arts Council England's National Portfolio Organisation uplift, which runs until March 2028 and focuses on the Arts Council's priority places of Great Yarmouth, King's Lynn and Thetford. Norfolk County Council's Public Health team also provides cross-cutting funding through to 2028 to support the mental health and wellbeing strand of the work.

Impact data presented to the committee showed that 95% of participants said the programme exceeded their expectations, and 100% said they felt welcomed and respected by staff and volunteers. Some 95% of activities were delivered face to face, with the majority involving young people in long-term group settings rather than one-off sessions.

Four dedicated project workers run the programme alongside museum professionals, operating a three-stage model that moves young people from lighter-touch activities through to leadership roles, including seats on a strategic youth board for 18 to 25-year-olds.