The Happy Museum is delighted to announce a new initiative – working with six museums across Wales to develop and test museum practice in support of the goals of the Future Generations Act.
Led by Monmouthshire Museums, and supported by the Welsh Government through an accreditation support grant from the Federation of Museums and Art Galleries of Wales, the project will explore the connection between the Welsh Future Generations Act and museums through the lens of the Happy Museum principles; advocating for the contribution museums can make through ‘real’ examples and developing a narrative that speaks to the seven Wellbeing Goals.
The participant museums are Monmouthshire Museums Service, Cardiff Story Museum, Ceredigion Museum, Wrexham Museum, Storiel and Oriel Yns Mon.
Since 2011 Happy Museum (HM) has been bringing together thinking around societal wellbeing and sustainability and looking at how museums can respond through museum practice based around six Principles. Synergy between these Principles and the goals of the Wellbeing of Future Generations Act (WB) has been identified below:
| Happy Museum Principles | Wellbeing of Future Generations Goals |
| Create the conditions for wellbeing | A healthier Wales |
| Be an active citizen | A Wales of cohesive communities |
| Pursue mutual relationships | A more equal Wales |
| Learn for resilience | A resilient Wales |
| Value the environment and be a steward of the future as well as the past | A globally responsible Wales |
| Measure what matters | Overall Evaluation Tool |
| All the above | A Wales of vibrant culture and thriving Welsh language |
The museums will form a community of practice, working together to provide advice, support and share learning, act as critical friends and champion each other’s work.
The group will be part of and connect with the wider HM project including the Affiliate Scheme of which Monmouthshire Museums are a member and the 5-Year Study Group of which Ceredigion is a member.
‘The Federation is very pleased to be funding this initiative of the Happy Museum Project working with six museums in Wales. Supporting museums achieve the Wellbeing Goals is a key part of our grant programme – a great fit with Happy Museum principles. We hope that the evidence gained by the participating museums will be used by other museums in Wales in the future.’
John Marjoram, Development Officer /Swyddog Datblygu, Ffederasiwn Amgueddfeydd ac Orielau Celf Cymru/Federation of Museums & Art Galleries of Wales.
