Veterans at the 2005 launch of Their Past Your Future's first phase. Learning from conflict is at the heart of the 28 projects receiving funding in the first year of Their Past Your Future 2, announced on December 12 2007. © TPYF

Culture24 has teamed up with the Museum Library and Archives Council (MLA) to promote Their Past Your Future 2, the second phase of the successful programme that aims to promote understanding of 20th century conflict.

The first phase of Their Past Your Future (TPYF) was launched in 2005 to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Second World War. It gave rise to a raft of projects such as an online archive of WWII films, digitisation programmes, overseas educational visits and a touring exhibition that went to unexpected venues around the UK.

As the second phase of the scheme, TPYF2 is a three-year programme of museum, library and archives projects, supported by the Big Lottery Fund, which focus on increasing community learning and young people’s knowledge and understanding of the impact, diversity and contemporary significance of conflict.

Many museums, libraries and archives have already taken up the challenge of responding to this new focus and, with funding administered by MLA, a series of dynamic projects are already underway or about to begin.

It is these projects which will be brought alive by Culture24 on their website 24 Hour Museum via editorials, news features and reviews.

A TPYF2 section will also be launched later in the year on the 24 Hour Museum, whilst ‘Storymaker’, the website’s user generated content tool, will be used by some of the groups to tell their own stories and to publish case studies, features and images on the site.

The first incarnation of Their Past Your Future, launched in 2005, helped people commemorate the end of WWII. © TPYF

Culture24 will be mapping existing TPYF-related educational content, tagging it to the curriculum and adding it to their education resources database, whilst event listings will be carried via the existing listings system on 24 Hour Museum and shared using data feeds and RSS newsfeeds.

Projects that will benefit include an oral history scheme in Leicester, which has been recording the experiences of the local Muslim, Hindu and Sikh population in relation to the partition of India and an educational project developed by the Orford Museum Trust that aims to increase intergenerational understanding of World War Two.

“We are really impressed at the sheer range of projects and activities that are happening in museums, libraries and archives across England as part of the MLA's Their Past Your Future Grants Programme,” said Eve Pattinson, TPYF2 Project Manager. “This partnership with Culture24 ensures these exciting projects will get great coverage via their website, the 24 Hour Museum.”

TPYF2 will also see a wealth of events, workshops, exhibitions and educational activities taking across the UK over the next three years and organisers will be publicising these via the 24 Hour Museum listings system, which also shares data with the national tourism organisation, Visit Britain.

The work is part of Culture24’s work with MLA and sector partners on audience-facing content strategies and a joined-up digital strategy for the museum, library and archive sectors.

Storymaker, the 24 Hour Museum content gathering tool. © 24 Hour Museum

Many of the phase two projects have also been developed not just to benefit those directly involved but to create learning resources, exhibitions or drama productions that extend their reach.

“All of the projects supported represent a diverse range of approaches and challenge how we understand the term 'conflict'”, added Eve. “People have really taken on board the themes of the programme and are working hard to support teachers, young people, schools and the wider community through their projects.”

A project at North Allerton Young Offenders Institute has seen young offenders comparing and contrasting their experiences with those of young people in prison and on military service in the past. A compact portable exhibition based on the work of the project is being created to tour libraries, schools, and community venues, including non-traditional venues.

The three-year TPYF2 programme runs until 2010 and is being delivered across the UK through a partnership which includes MLA, Imperial War Museum, Museums and Galleries Scotland, the Northern Ireland Museums Council and the National Library of Wales.

Find out more about TPYF2 at:
www.mla.gov.uk/programmes/their_past_your_future.