BCA wins Inaugural Best Museum Youth Project:Social Justice in Family Friendly Museum Award

Black Cultural Archives in London has won Best Museum Youth Project: Social Justice in the Kids in Museums Family Friendly Museum Award 2025, for a groundbreaking project exploring stories of Brixton’s LGBTQ+ communities. The initiative was conceived by a Youth Programme member and sought to address a critical gap in the archives by collecting and preserving oral histories from elders with the Black LGBTQ+ community. 

Run by charity Kids in Museums, the Family Friendly Museum Award celebrates museums, galleries, historic homes or heritage sites in the UK that go the extra mile to provide a great experience for families.  

This year, a new category, Best Museum Youth Project: Social Justice, was introduced to celebrate museums that have given young people meaningful opportunities to explore social justice issues.  

The project was judged by an expert panel, which noted the agency and authenticity demonstrated by the young people BCA works with. Participants built significant confidence and professional skills, opening new pathways into the heritage sector. Furthermore, the project has been embedded within Black Cultural Archives, creating a lasting legacy through its integration into its permanent archives and digital resources. 

Dr Wanda Wyporska, FRHistS, said: “It is such an honour for BCA to win this award, demonstrating just how we can support our young people to develop their skills and ideas, bringing social justice and history together. This is a fantastic example for the sector and for other organisations seeking to make their practice more inclusive.”

Alison Bowyer, Executive Director of Kids in Museums, said: “Congratulations to Black Cultural Archives. Winning the Best Museum Youth Project: Social Justice is a wonderful achievement. Growing from an idea from a member of their Youth Programme, their inspirational project had a real impact on the organisation and the local community. Young people were able to develop valuable skills, build confidence and create community dialogue, bringing the stories and voices of the Black LGBTQ+ community to the heart of the archives.”  

Launched in 2004, the Family Friendly Museum Award is widely recognised as a benchmark for excellence in the heritage sector. Each year Kids in Museums receives hundreds of public nominations, which are whittled down to a shortlist by an expert panel. The final say goes to families, who pay undercover visits to each shortlisted museum over the summer holidays to decide the winner. 

The winning museums in the Kids in Museums Family Friendly Museum Award 2025: 

Winner: Best Small Museum + Overall Winner 

Experience Barnsley Museum & Discovery Centre 

Winner: Best Medium Museum 

V&A Dundee 

Winner: Best Large Museum 

The Burrell Collection, Glasgow 

Winner: Best Accessible Museum 

Eureka! The National Children’s Museum 

Winner: Best Museum Youth Project: Social Justice 

Black Cultural Archives