Trodden Earth, and curating the next generation of museum and heritage professionals with a visionary outreach programme
Our cultural heritage is constantly evolving, reshaping itself, and adapting to ever-changing and renewing audiences. It reflects who we are as a nation, and it defines who we are in the world. Caring for this heritage is vitally important—but dramatic cuts in funding from Arts Council England mean that crucial posts are part-time, temporary, or entirely non-existent.
Enter the innovative Future Museum Voices (FMV) outreach programme at the University of Cambridge Museums, designed to inspire a more diverse range of people to apply to university and to consider careers in the museum and heritage sector.
The evidence that FMV is having an impact is already building.
From September to December 2024, a unique exhibition called Trodden Earth, co-created by a group of Year 12 school students from around the country, was on show at both the Museum of Zoology and the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (MAA) in Cambridge.
Trodden Earth marked the completion of FMV’s second year, which saw the programme hosting 29 students out of a field of more than 50 applications. In the previous year, 19 students developed an exhibition called ‘Tangled Planet,’ which was viewed by 24,000 visitors—nine of those 19 students applied at the end of 2023 to study at Oxford or Cambridge.
Engaging the future: innovation in education around cultural heritage
To be eligible for Future Museum Voices, students must be state-educated and express an interest in working in a museum or in biology.
Priority is given to students who fulfil one or more widening participation criteria, such as having care responsibilities or free school meals. In the second year of the programme, students were also ranked depending on estimated A-level attainment.
The programme begins with ‘warm-up’ webinars introducing participants to the University of Cambridge and its application process, current research into nature-based solutions to biodiversity loss, and the collections and aims of the Museum of Zoology and its programme partner, last year being the MAA, and for the 2025 programme that is now underway, Kettle’s Yard.
The core activity is a week-long, expenses-paid residential in Cambridge during the Easter holidays—when students in Year 12 are planning their future directions for study. Based at Clare College, the students get inspiration from visits to the city’s cultural highlights, including the New Hall Art Collection, the University Library, the Botanic Garden and the Herbarium.
Clare College
Clare College
Museum of Zoology
Museum of Zoology
They also attend workshops run by academics from a wide range of disciplines, to encourage and support those who might not have considered applying to competitive universities.
“It’s an intensive week”, says the organiser, Roz Wade, Senior Learning and Engagement Coordinator for the Department of Zoology. “The students don’t know each other when they arrive, but they overcome this barrier and make it a huge team success.”
Points and pauses for reflection help the students generate ideas for the exhibition, and the final day brings together their learning and experiences to co-create the exhibition as a group, including agreeing on the title and theme.
The students write texts about the exhibits they’ve chosen to highlight, and then professional designers create exhibition materials such as a printed guide and case labels, with a custom logo and colour scheme.
“I’m always impressed by how forthright and confident the students are in their opinions and explanations for the exhibits,” says Roz. “They described Trodden Earth as about the dynamic of power between people and nature.”
Once the residential week is over, the students remain in contact with the programme to help finalise the museum texts and agree on the overall introduction. On the exhibition’s launch day, they and their families are invited as guests of honour.
Roz reflects: “It is wonderful to see the students gain confidence in talking with researchers and museum professionals during the residential, and we find they think deeply about what they want to say in their exhibition. This comes across for our Museum visitors, bringing fresh new voices and perspectives to the collections for them too.”
Funding, impact, and a measurable effect on hearts and minds
An evaluation questionnaire for the first year of FMV revealed the programme’s impact: an increase in the number of students who considered they were likely or very likely to apply to Cambridge, to apply for biology or environmental science, or to pursue a career in museum curation.
When asked to describe museums with three words before the residential programme, the students offered ‘history’ as the clear frontrunner, with ‘preservation’ next. Afterwards, their summary words changed to ‘research’, ‘education’, ‘curation’ and ‘stories’, showing how their perception of museums and appreciation of museums’ roles had evolved.
“…these outreach programmes...completely changed my perspective of university.”
“…the activities and talks you organised were fantastic and it has confirmed my desire to apply to Cambridge!”
“I enjoyed speaking to so many people who are so knowledgeable and passionate about their fields, seeing parts of museums that normally aren’t accessible…”
A selection of specimens that students chose to exhibit
“This is one of the first examples of nature being used as a currency for humanistic purposes of trade and commerce over its predominant natural purpose. To reflect, how is nature being used as a currency in the modern world? “
— Grace on the cowrie shells
“Our past reveals our dark secrets and exposes our guilt, as the foxes and cats the British brought over to Australia during colonisation directly influenced numbat decline.”
— Rohan on the numbat
“There are now plans to reintroduce these Belgian burbots into water systems in Norfolk since our own burbots had been driven to extinction due to habitat destruction and commercial overfishing.”
— Tara on the burbot
“Luckily, you can help contribute to the work already starting to get our coral reefs back. You can work with climate scientists to reduce our impact by using public transport, eating less meat and being energy efficient.”
— Gerrard on the staghorn coral
Their exhibition, Fragile Harmony, opens at the Museum of Zoology in Autumn 2025. It will be accompanied by a digital tour of Kettle’s Yard.
FMV is proving its value, but its future hangs in the balance
The Isaac Newton Trust provided full funding for the first two years of Future Museum Voices and is part-funding the current 2025 programme, but beyond that, the source of future funding is unknown.
After accommodation costs, the design and print of the exhibition materials is the biggest expense but this professional production is important in showing the students the value of their contributions, giving their work the same status as materials already on display. The team is determined to showcase these initiatives in caring for culture and to keep opportunities like these alive and thriving, to inspire ongoing philanthropic support for these remarkable young people long into the future.
"The Zoology Museum’s current collaboration with Kettle’s Yard brings the focus to ‘art and nature’,” says Roz. “I am looking forward to the FMV exhibition that will be on show from October 2025. I am sure it will be really eye-opening!”
Support our learning programmes
We would be delighted to hear from you if you are interested in supporting the learning programmes and public engagement activities of the Cambridge Collections. Your generosity will help our learning staff to reach the widest possible audience and transform Cambridge for future generations.
For an informal discussion, contact Rachel Austin: rachel.austin@admin.cam.ac.uk