Thanks to National Lottery players, the project will support 30 young people who have experienced homelessness and/or barriers to employment/learning. These project participants will be YMCA Derbyshire residents or young people engaged in training and education programmes at YMCA Key College.
The project aims to engage the young people in exploring key heritage and conservation sites in Derby and Derbyshire to understand the employment opportunities linked to these in the past and present. This will be done through projects, 1-1 coaching, group activities and essential work placements/volunteering to facilitate each young person’s successful journey into employment.
Cromford Mills, the Museum of Making, and Derbyshire Wildlife Trust are partners within the project each providing workshops, delivered by their education teams to explore their sites and resources to inform and excite project participants.
“YMCA Derbyshire is immensely grateful for the support from National Lottery players and The National Lottery Heritage Fund. This funding will enable young people who may not have the opportunity to visit and engage in activities related to their local heritage to access these places and learn about their rich history. We are excited to be working with our three project partners, Cromford Mills, The Museum of Making, and Derbyshire Wildlife Trust to explore the past and present of employment within the local area and take our participants on a journey to explore this. The project will enrich their knowledge and skills to build their CV’s and assist them in finding meaningful work for the future”.
This toolkit is a reflection of the journey taken between 2023 and 2025, capturing the practical strategies, lessons learned, and transformative outcomes of a programme designed to reconnect young people aged 16–30 with history, place, and purpose.
At its heart, the project used heritage as a vehicle to build transferable skills, nurture confidence, and inspire new aspirations, especially among those who previously saw heritage as irrelevant or inaccessible.
This toolkit offers a practical guide for organisations interested in engaging with young people through heritage by showcasing hands-on activities, partnership models, and participant stories.
Whether you’re planning similar outreach or looking to enrich existing programmes, the insights shared here aim to help you create inclusive, impactful experiences that bridge the past with the present—and support young people toward a more empowered future.
‘Past:Present:Work’ is a National Lottery Heritage Funded employability project, focused on local heritage. It provides a unique opportunity for YMCA Derbyshire residents and learners aged 16-35 to explore heritage and conservation sites in Derbyshire.
‘Past:Present:Work’ is a National Lottery Heritage Funded employability project, focused on local heritage. It provides a unique opportunity for YMCA Derbyshire residents and learners aged 16-35 to explore heritage and conservation sites in Derbyshire.
‘Past:Present:Work’ is a National Lottery Heritage Funded employability project, centred around local heritage. Find out more here.
YMCA Derbyshire has received support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund for a new employability project inspired by local heritage ‘Past:Present:Work’. Thanks to National Lottery
