Establishing a creative community space for young people from minority ethnic groups in Glasgow
The Intercultural Youth Group (ICY) is an MGS funded programme, part of the Delivering Change: Sustainable Co-Production Fund.
Established in October 2024, it’s a creative community space for young people (aged 18-26) from minority ethnic groups in Glasgow. The group has met fortnightly at the Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA). The project was established as a partnership with the Mental Health Foundation to better support the young people and staff’s wellbeing. They provided training for staff and participants on how to look after their mental health, as well as ad hoc support throughout the programme.
Coordinating the group is a project assistant with lived experience, recruited specifically for the programme and who was also supported in undertaking an SVQ in Museums and Galleries Practice.
ICY sessions consisted of discussions, collaborative workshops, or visits to cultural venues. Participants had an allocated budget to plan museum-based events and workshops, which have included lates, art sessions, and participation in festivals like Glasgow Mela, the biggest South Asian festival in Scotland. The externally funded programme ended with an exhibition in GoMA’s COMMONSpace, which opened on 19 June 2026.
The projects they’ve worked on will leave a lasting legacy within the museum and for audiences. These included a podcast discussing collections and issues of representation; a handling kit on Black history; a Gallery Test (companion to the Museum Test developed by Our Shared Cultural Heritage); and an update of the display on the history of the GoMA building.
The main legacy, though, is the creation of an ongoing panel of young people aged 18-26 from minority ethnic backgrounds who will be involved in Glasgow Museums projects of interest to them – helping to shape work across venues and ensure youth participation and representation.
By engaging with Glasgow Museums’ spaces and collection, ICY supported young people to challenge feelings of not-belonging and to reclaim museum spaces. It is a work in progress, and Glasgow Museums’ commitment to it continues.