V&A East Launches Recruitment for 2027 Youth Collective: Shaping the Future of East London’s Cultural Landscape

The Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) is calling on the next generation of creative voices in East London to take a seat at the table. V&A East, the institution’s ambitious new two-part cultural destination, has announced that applications for its latest Youth Collective cohort will officially open on Friday, October 16, 2026. This initiative is specifically designed for young people aged 16 to 24 who currently reside in the boroughs of Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets, or Waltham Forest. By joining the Collective, participants are invited to do more than just visit a museum; they are being asked to help define what these spaces should look, feel, and sound like for their peers.

The V&A East Youth Collective represents a cornerstone of the institution’s commitment to community co-production. As the museum prepares to fully integrate its presence into the Stratford landscape through both the V&A East Museum and the V&A East Storehouse, the organization is seeking a team of twelve curious, passionate, and creative individuals to collaborate directly with the V&A East staff and a roster of commissioned practitioners. The goal is to ensure that as the institution grows, it remains a welcoming, inspiring, and—crucially—a relevant space for the young people of East London.

A Program Rooted in Co-Production and Creative Exchange

The eight-month programme is designed as a deep dive into the intersection of heritage, identity, and contemporary culture. Over the course of sixteen sessions, held on alternating Thursday evenings between January and August 2027, members of the Youth Collective will engage in a series of creative workshops, site visits, and collaborative projects. These sessions are intended to be a learning exchange, moving away from traditional institutional hierarchies and toward a model of true co-production.

For the 2027 cohort, the curriculum will build upon the thematic foundations laid by previous groups. While early cohorts focused heavily on foundational concepts such as identity, memory, and a sense of belonging, the new programme will expand these discussions to include complex, modern challenges, including issues of place, accessibility, and decolonisation. Furthermore, the participants will be tasked with a significant challenge: developing a strategy for how the museum can better embed creative wellbeing and authentic care for young audiences within its public spaces. This effort will culminate in a final creative output, which will be made available to the public, ensuring that the work produced by the Youth Collective has a lasting impact on the museum’s visitors.

The programme offers participants far more than just a seat in a meeting room. Beyond the structured evening sessions, the experience will include occasional weekend activities and specialized trips. It provides a unique opportunity for young people to gain professional insight into the cultural sector, network with peers, and develop a range of creative skills. Participants will be encouraged to influence how the V&A East interacts with local communities and how it represents the lived experiences of those who call East London home.

Understanding the V&A East Destination

To understand the weight of this opportunity, one must look at the unique nature of the V&A East sites. The V&A East Museum, located in the heart of Stratford, is more than just a gallery; it is a space designed to celebrate the power of making and creativity as catalysts for change. It is intentionally rooted in the rich, diverse heritage of East London, serving as a platform for the voices that are currently shaping contemporary culture. The museum’s philosophy is built on the belief that supporting critical and conceptual learning through "doing" is essential for modern engagement.

Complementing this is the V&A East Storehouse, also situated near the Stratford Waterfront. While the museum offers curated exhibitions, the Storehouse serves a different but equally vital purpose. It is a massive repository housing over half a million creative works and collection objects. It is designed to be a publicly accessible space where visitors can immerse themselves in vast narratives and historical stories. The Storehouse acts as the physical backbone of the institution’s collection, and by involving the Youth Collective in its development, the V&A is ensuring that these historic objects remain accessible and meaningful to a 21st-century audience.

Applying to the Collective

The selection process for the 2027 Youth Collective is looking for a group of twelve individuals who accurately reflect the diversity of the local East London community. While the application process is rigorous, the primary requirement is a genuine desire to make a difference in one’s community and a willingness to share ideas, opinions, and critiques of the current cultural landscape.

Interested candidates should note that applications open on Friday, October 16, 2026, via a link that will be hosted on the V&A East website. The deadline for all submissions is Sunday, November 1, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Prospective applicants are reminded that to receive payment for their participation in the programme, they must possess the legal right to work in the United Kingdom.

For those curious about what the programme entails before they commit to the application process, the V&A is hosting a free, open-invite event on Sunday, October 18. Taking place between 1:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. at the V&A East Storehouse, the event offers a chance to meet previous cohort members, speak with industry practitioners, and engage with the museum’s work firsthand. The afternoon will feature networking opportunities, hands-on risograph printing workshops, screenings of short films produced by past participants, and a series of panel discussions. It serves as an open door for anyone interested in ensuring that young East Londoners remain at the heart of the V&A’s future.

The first official session for the successful applicants is scheduled for Thursday, January 14, 2027, at 6:00 p.m. at the V&A East Storehouse. The institution encourages anyone with specific questions regarding the programme or the application process to reach out directly to the engagement team via email at [email protected]. As the date for the launch of the application portal approaches, further details regarding the specific practitioners who will lead the programme and additional logistical information will be made available on the official project page.

By centering the voices of those aged 16 to 24, the V&A East is attempting to bridge the gap between traditional heritage institutions and the fast-paced, evolving culture of London’s boroughs. The 2027 Youth Collective is not merely a youth engagement project; it is a critical component of the museum’s strategy to ensure that its spaces are built, informed, and governed by the very people they intend to serve. Whether it is through the lens of decolonisation, access, or the simple, radical act of creating a space where young people feel they belong, the next eight months of collaboration are set to play a pivotal role in the ongoing development of the V&A East.