Blog: Generation Hope - acting for the planet

Camilla Tham and Conor O'Keeffe from the London Natural History Museum shares with us their Generation Hope project and how they are inspiring generations to look after the planet...

In January 2020 the Natural History Museum launched a new strategy, and we placed the Planetary Emergency front and centre. Climate change, biodiversity loss, habitat destruction, ocean acidification and so many other interconnected crises threaten our future, and that of countless other species on earth. Almost immediately following our strategy launch COVID-19 turned our lives upside-down, in many ways reinforcing the message that our continued unsustainable relationship with the natural world has very real and severe consequences.

The Museum’s core mission in addressing this planetary emergency is to create advocates for the planet: individuals who feel sufficiently informed, confident and motivated to make wise decisions, to get involved, and to use their influence and actions to make a positive difference to the global future. With young people not only showing the most concern but also the most determination to drive action, they have become a key focus in our major programmes. We want to connect with and engage our young audiences, so they can feel inspired, informed and empowered to take action that is meaningful for them. And equally we want to collaborate with young people, so we can share their stories, champion their work and amplify their voices and perspectives to our international following.

In 2021 we launched Our Broken Planet: How We Got Here and Ways to Fix It, a free exhibition comprised of 40 objects from our collections, each telling powerful stories of the Anthropocene, and an associated live events programme. We collaborated with and placed the voices of inspiring young changemakers from around the world at the centre of this programme, recognising the need for young people to see themselves represented in the conversation to feel inspired to speak up on behalf of nature.

Generation Hope: Act for the Planet is the next step in our approach to engage with and support a new generation of advocates for the planet on their journey in driving meaningful action. From discussion panels, to skills workshops, to participatory art sessions, the activities aim to equip 15-25 year old audiences with a greater understanding of the key issues, offer guidance on how to connect with others, strengthen their imagination of a better future and most importantly motivate them to take action, whatever that may look like for them.

This is a hugely exciting programme that we are passionate about, not just because we feel the issues being addressed are urgent, but also because this is an exciting and bold step for a big national museum. Our scientific work will always be vitally important, it’s at the core of who we are and what we do. But in this programme we want to actively broaden understanding and perspectives – science is key, but scientific research alone is not enough. Meaningful engagement, informed decision-making and truly just transitions, these are topics we want to centre in the Generation Hope programme, alongside that crucially important science.

If we could only choose one successful outcome from this programme, it would be connection. Only by connecting to one another, bridging divides and forming a collective response can we ensure a future where people and planet thrive.

By 

Camilla Tham, International Partnerships Manager, Natural History Museum

Conor O’Keeffe, International Partnerships Creative Producer, Natural History Museum

All blogs reflect the views of their author and are not a reflection of BIAZA's positions.