BACKGROUND TO MK Y2Y CONSULTATION

Millennium Kids (MK) is working with the Western Australian Museum and the Commissioner for Children and Young People to offer young people an opportunity to have a say about how the Museum presents it’s exhibitions and collections through an innovative series of workshops and training activities. It’s all part of a new initiative to consult with young people about the future directions of the Western Australian Museum.

Millennium Kids will be scouring the region for inspiring people with stories to tell or exhibit to inspire young people in the lead up to the workshops.

The MK Team have already consulted with a number of people who have some fabulous exhibition concepts around the things that inspire them about the local region.

On the 1 April a team of thirty interested young people will be trained as facilitators who will lead the one day workshop on 2 June with one hundred young delegates.

Photographs of Albany Times Past - IMAGES COURTESY ALBANY HISTORY COLLECTION, ALBANY PUBLIC LIBRARY

Monday, September 21, 2009

xhIBIT alBANY Exhibition

Hi Team,

Check out some of the fabulous exhibits at the xhIBIT alBANY Exhibition!



Let us know what you think by leaving a positive comment below!

Monday, August 17, 2009

Welcome to Country - by Glenda Williams

Welcome to Country Speech given at xhIBIT alBANY Exhibition Launch 8th August 2009

Today we stand here on Manange ground, this is part of our boodja this we call kallynup; meaning place of fire.

Looking around us we see many different things that has given our children the opportunities to look into the future.

Where one day they will have the opportunities to do these things if they require through their studies.

These children of today are our next generation, so while we can still be their support to encourage them to go further.

Already they are seeing into the future as you only have to walk around to see.

Where energy is concerned we have our windmill turning each day.

Where now we are seeing that trees are need more so that our planet can still provide for us.

Where are wildlife will no become existence.

Where now we have a diverse country and working together as on will only make this country strong.

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Congratulations your Exhibition

Millennium Kids would like to thank all the participants for taking part in xhIBIT alBANY. The final exhibitions were amazing and there was a lot of work that went into their creation. This could not have happened without all of the support the students received from their schools, teachers, parents and of course the WA Museum Curators.


Below is a sample of the xhIBIT alBANY Exhibition 2009.


Congratulations on an outstanding exhibition - you should all be so proud.

Thanks,

Millennium Kids Inc.



Thursday, August 6, 2009

Kids Launch their Exhibition at the WA Museum - Albany!

The WA Museum - Albany is launching a new exhibition on 8 August, featuring themes and objects selected and created entirely by young people.

xHIBIT aLBANY is the culmination of a joint project between the Commissioner for Children and Young People, the Western Australian Museum and Millennium Kids aimed at giving young people the opportunity to have a say about how they think museums should present exhibitions.

More than a hundred children and young people from the Great Southern region were asked to create a museum exhibition around an idea, issue, story or object that inspired them.

The resulting exhibition, xHIBIT aLBANY, is a colourful and inspirational display featuring themes and objects selected by young people and created with the help of Museum exhibition designers.

Commissioner for Children and Young People Michelle Scott said the innovative project was an effective tool to help young people to get involved with their local community and to have their views heard.

“I am pleased to see the success of this project which shows to the whole community the importance of listening to young people and involving them in decisions that affect them. Young people have a lot to say what they want in their local community and involving them in projects such as this begins an important dialogue with them which benefits everyone.

Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Western Australian Museum Diana Jones said consulting with young people and gathering their views on how exhibitions should be presented was greatly beneficial to the Museum’s planning for the future.

“We initiated this project as a way of engaging with young people and to really listen to their ideas about exhibitions. The Museum has gained immense value through this project and is very excited to now be able to offer the local community the opportunity to be able to view the children’s ideas and inspirations themselves. We are thrilled to see how much the children have taken to the project and how excited they are about exhibiting their displays in the Museum. “

Millennium Kids Inc Program Director Catrina-Luz Aniere said working with the children in the Great Southern have been an enriching experience.

“The children have had such fabulous ideas and have been so excited about working with the Museum and creating their own exhibition. Millennium Kids is pleased to have been a part of this project and to have assisted in creating the forums to allow the children to have their say.”

The exhibition opens on 8 August and runs until 27 September.

On 8 August, the Museum will also launch another exhibition for children called Toys: Science at Play

Toys: Science at Play, a travelling exhibition developed by Scitech, features a huge range of colourful toy displays and hands-on activities. Come and discover engaging exhibits including dolls, pinball, kaleidoscopes and more.

To celebrate the launch of xHIBIT aLBANY and Toys: Science at Play, the Museum is providing a family fun challenge for the whole community from 1.00pm – 4.00pm. The family fun afternoon will feature
• Demonstrations of popular computer games
• Private collectors’ toy’s displays, brought out especially for the day
• Toys made from recycled materials from all around the world and you can try the recycled toys challenge with great prizes
• The chance to make your own old-fashioned toys such as a jack-in-the-box
• Family challenges, see if you can walk on stilts and try your hand at hoops and sticks or old fashioned games like egg and spoon
• Puppet shows
• Mini-animation workshops with Great Southern Factor Inc.


WHERE: Western Australian Museum – Albany. Residency Road, Albany

WHEN: August 8, 2009

TIME: Open Day 1.00 – 4.00pm
Launch of xHBIT aLBANY 1.30pm

AGES: All ages
COST: Free
No bookings necessary

Monday, July 20, 2009

Museum Update!


Hi Millennium Kids

Jo and Boris here! We’re the Museum designers who were at the workshop on Tuesday 30 June and we just wanted to say thanks to everyone for bringing in their great displays.

We helped everyone to think about what kind of display they would have, what the objects would sit on and what extras they would need to think about like coloured backgrounds or showcases.

There are a few great ideas out there that still need to be dropped into the Museum so make sure you do this as soon as possible!

We are coming down again to do more workshops with you all if you would still like to discuss how your exhibition will be displayed, these will take place on July 28 and 29.

In the meantime if you need to contact the Museum to drop off your project or discuss it with someone, just give Catherine a call on 9841 4844.

The exhibition looks like it will be all set to launch on 8 August, don’t forget to tell you friends to come along!

We are really looking forward to working again with you all and launching your great exhibition!

Jo and Boris - WA Museum

Monday, June 29, 2009

What the Children's Commissioner has to say!

Hi Bloggers,

I want to congratulate you all for thinking about new ways people can experience exhibitions at the museum. Your ideas on what and how things could be displayed like the ‘feel case’ suggested by Kyle are great ways of doing things differently.

The Indigenous Message Sticks were my inspiration and I am thrilled so many of you are interested in bringing different cultures together in celebration. I am very impressed with the range of ideas on the blog, from the environment to human rights issues and interesting things in everyday life.

It’s great you have taken the time to have a say and to see it in action here in this blog. I’m always telling people that kids have many fantastic ideas and want to have a say about what goes on in their community.

Keep blogging in the Great Southern and enjoy the exhibition.

Michelle, Commissioner for Children and Young People

Friday, June 26, 2009

North Albany's Exhibition Plan

At the moment we've just got the plans worked out. We kinda don't have the materials to make the exhibition, we just need a big board with half of the board painted black with a picture of that hand on the top third of it, then we're going to put an paint tray for the kids to put handprints on the wall and little hand-shaped or key-shaped pieces of paper for the adults to write comments on. (the other side of the wall's gonna be white)

We were also hoping to interview some students from Mirrabooka SHS who know of people who have has people traffiking experiences. We want to do little bit of a biography so we can make it into a story board kind of thing.

Cya soon! Natasha, Liam and Rebekah

Our Plan - South West Seascapes!

Our exhibition idea is called 'South West Seascapes' and is about the animals of south west Australia.

Our plan is that we'd have a corner and split it into half - one side being the bush, the other the ocean. On the walls is a landscape of that area with animals on it, maybe soft toys.

The animals have a speech bubble each and inside them are information on the animals. On the floor we were planning to have a path on the bush side, and footsteps on the ocean side to make it look like it's on a beach.

On the ceiling we thought we could have some lighting - yellow light for the bush, blue for the ocean. It could be just cellaphane on it. The animals on the walls include a tiger snake, kangaroo, eagle, southern right whale, salmon and jellyfish.

If there are anymore animals we need, I'll let you know.

See you on Tuesday! =)

Mia, Molly, Joe, David & Scott Katanning SHS

Friday, June 19, 2009

Kyle's Exhibition Plan!


Hi Millenium Kids


Here is the plan for my guitar exhibit. I will need a power point and power, so I can use my cd player and play guitar music.


And maybe a glass case to put my beautiful guitar in? Can you let me know if I can have these things, otherwise I will try and borrow a guitar stand from my grandfather.


I will have posters, can these go on the wall? Or can you let me use a display board?

Thanks
Kyle - Woodbury Boston PS


Congratulations Kyle for sending in your xhIBIT alBANY exhibit plan! We will get back to you shortly about how the Museum can help you display your inspiration. Look forward to seeing you on the 30th June at the Exhibit Drop -off Workshop. Thanks, Kate and the MK Team
Hi Alice

I love your idea to do your display about cows. When I was little I lived on farm and spent a lot of time with calves in the shed. I watched my Mum and Dad milk the cows every morning and every afternoon. My favourite memory was having butter on white bread in the dairy with my Mother. We used to have strong tea with fresh milk.
Did you know there is a cow exhibition coming to WA? Have a look at this website.

Monday, June 8, 2009

Rollerblading fun!


My inspiration is rollerblading. I like it because it is fast, fun, good for you and you can show off with some pretty cool tricks! I have know how to rollerblade since I was about 8 and ever since, I've gotten much better. I can blade fast and do some basic tricks, but I'm learning all the time. Though, there are things I still won't do!

Scott - Katanning Senior High School
Let Scott know what you think about his inspiration by leaving a positive comment below!!

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Lucy and Annalise give an Exhibition Plan Update!



Hey guys,

Annalise and Lucy again!
And our plan of our exhibit consists of writing about different cultures in Albany and also painting! We are hoping to finger paint some pictures from different cultures and different styles of painting. We hope to also include pictures and write about each one. We can’t wait to start and are both excited!

Lucy and Annalise,
Albany Primary School.

Katanning plans to exhibit cultures!


If we had a chance to choose an idea for our very own exhibition, it would be to exhibit the cultures of the world. We come from a multicultural town, so we are quite open to different cultures, but for other people who haven’t been able to meet someone from a different background, this exhibition will help them understand a little bit about other people’s lives and their beliefs.

In this exhibition, we plan to:
**Put panels of information around the room about various cultures, where they are found, their beliefs and information about their celebrations
**Dress mannequins in traditional clothing, like the ‘baju kurung’ from Malaysia and the ‘sari’ from India
**Include objects and items from different cultures to show how different people live in society
**Have a performance corner, where people may perform songs using traditional musical instruments from that country.

**Place a buffet table outside. Visitors can have a go at eating
cuisines that they may not have tried before, such as ‘rendang’, ‘nasi ayam’ and
‘naan’.

We hope to spread the message of acceptance and respect for people from different races in the community through this exhibition. We also hope to make people aware of different cultures that sometimes may be forgotten.

By Mia, David & Scott [Katanning SHS]

What do you think about Mia, David and Scott's inspiration idea? Let them know by leaving a positive comment below!

ASHS Student's inspired by School


Hello this is Chloe, Damien and Caitlin's inspiration and what we want to do as an exhibition.

This is a picture of ASHS back in the day on a facebook group. The facebook has lots of old photos of ASHS back in the day and we are hopefully wanting to display them as a big collage and maybe have bits of information about ASHS attached to that. If we cannot find information of things that they use to do at ASHS then we might have mottos or other information we have at ASHS at this time. We also might make the symbol of ASHS stand out in the middle and have pictures around the outside. The pictures can be of past and present, so people can compare the fashion, the building and other which might be different.

Hope this is enough information;
From the ASHS Crew,
Damien, Chloe and Caitlin

Denmark SHS and the Papernautilus Shell



Denmark SHS students have recognised the Papernautilus Shell as their exhibition inspiration!


During the April workshop the students said they could exhibit it by:
1. Having sounds of the ocean
2. Sand3. Photos of the shell under sand
4. Water pond with Shells.



Let Denmark know what you think about their exhibition idea by writing a positive comment below!

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Tahlia's Woolly Inspiration!


The Albany Woolly Bush
By Tahlia from Woodbury Boston PS

What I like about the Albnay Woolly Bush is that it's really soft and can be used for a pillow or bed can also be used for making a kaunt.

My idea to exhibit this is to present it in a display and feel case. (< See Right)

The feel case is for the people to put their hand in and feel the Woolly Bush and the display case is just for the people to not feel, but look at the beautiful Woolly Bush.

If you like Tahila's inspiration give her some feedback by commenting below!

Jilgy of Albany


By: Dartanyn, Woodbury Boston Primary School

I love Jilgy because:
1. It is so cute
2. Dangerous
3. Comes from Australia (WA)
4. Comes in different colours
5. Bad because they are endangered
6. I found a very rare Jilgy cross Yabby

Give Dartanyn some feedback about his inspiration by commenting below!

Monday, May 11, 2009

Stop the Traffik!

By Liam, Rebekah and Natasha- NASHS

People trafficking happens all over the world and affects everyone, even us in Albany!! We want to put a stop to it by doing our exhibit on Stop the Traffik, an organisation dedicated to stopping people trafficking. Awareness needs to be raised about this horrendous crime. People are being trafficked every day, some to work on coffee and cocoa plantations. They are forced to work long hours and live in appalling living quarters. They need OUR help.

We plan to do this by making a freedom wall. Our plan is to paint a wall or cover it in paper. Half the wall we would put a picture of the hand and cover in facts and information, the other half we would leave plain so people could sign cards giving support (after the exhibit we’ll send these to stopthetrafik.org.au) and young children can put handprints on the wall.
If you think this is a great idea be sure to leave positive comments below!

Friday, May 8, 2009

Different Cultures Inspire Lucy and Annalise

Hi, we are Lucy and Annalise from Albany Primary!
Our inspiration is all different people from different cultures coming to Albany. We find it interesting because in such a small place there are so many different cultures! We would like to write about there point of views and how they feel. We find it important to think about this! And hope to make a great exhibit!!
Thanks, Annalise and Lucy!
Give Annalise and Lucy some postive feedback on their Inspiration! Are you from an interesting culture? Let us know by commenting below!

Letter of Support from the Museum!

Dear Millennium Kids,

Here at the WA Museum we are very excited about the xHIBIT alBANY project and have been following your blog with great interest.

Our staff; Caron, Renae and Rachael, have all reported at the workshop on 1 April was a great success and some wonderful ideas were already coming from your groups.


As Museum directors, we are most interested in the ways in which you, the young people of the Great Southern region would like to experience museums and how you would like to see exhibitions displayed.

While you are coming up with the idea for your exhibition, don’t forget to think about the ways you are going to display your objects or stories at the WA Museum – Albany.

What will make other young people relate to, or be interested in your display?

What is it that will make you come back to the Museum again?

When you look at other people’s exhibition ideas what is it you like about them?

All of your displays will be included in the xHIBIT alBANY community exhibition from 17 July – 14 august 2009 at the WA Museum – Albany.

Our staff will be coming along to the workshop on 2 June so feel free to ask them lots of questions when they are there. They will also be able to help you think about where your exhibition will be displayed and help you to lay them out in the Eclipse Building.

We hope you have great fun organising your display for xHIBIT alBANY.

Kind regards

Diana Jones
Acting Chief Executive Officer
Western Australian Museum

Monday, May 4, 2009

The Inspiration Of Music

Hi I’m Taran, my inspiration is music and this is why:

Firstly I just like sound, and music circles around you and it bounces inside my chest.


Listening to music I find a good way to forget something I'm worrying about, and I can relax. I find music a great creative outlet. I like the way music can have layers, or it can be random.

I also like the endless possibilities of music or sound. Imagine life without sound or music.

For an exhibit, I would bring photos of large instruments and bring in some smaller instruments, with some old and modern sheet music.

Monday, April 20, 2009

My Exhibit: Swords


Hello, I'm Carl age 10 and this is one of my swords. I like playing games with my swords, it's fun. I play games, like I pretend I'm getting the bad people. My swords make me do weird things like I swing my hand around just like I would if I was swinging a sword. If I exhibited it in the museum I would put it in a glass case and have information about it on a wall.

Leave a comment for Carl about his inspiration! Do you think Swords were brought over to Australia from England by the first settlers? Let us know!

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Inspirational Trees

By Ethan and Arian - Woodbury Boston Primary School

Our inspiration is a tree stump and it inspires us because its so big and old.
We would like to find how it came to be and what it would look like today if it was alive.
We've heard that there used to be a foresting settlement around the area in Torbay.
There even used to be a port and a railway track we would like to learn more
about that. We would like to exibit this in photo, pictures and movies.

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Mia's Salmon Holes Exhibition Idea

Hi it's me, Mia from Katanning Senior High School.

The photo of my inspiration is of the Salmon Holes in Albany. I think that as Australians, we should be taking more care of our beautiful coastline. If I could exhibit this in any way, I would include ways for ordinary Australians to help out, more information on the wildlife that live along the coast, the different problems the world's oceans are facing and the different things that we can do to help keep our beautiful beaches.

The beaches of Australia are the most stunning in the world, so by putting up an exhibit like this, then we can learn how keep enjoying them!!!
Let Mia know what you think about her inspiration! Leave a positive comment below!

Kyle is Inspired by his Guitar


By Kyle Weaver

What inspires me is guitar because it can be loud and angry but it can also by quiet and peaceful.

I think its better to play guitar then to listen to it because it's so much fun and you actually get to do something instead of just listen.

I would exhibit my guitar by puting some pictures of people playing guitar surrounding the guitar and play some acoustic guitar CDs. As part of the exhibition I could include some guitar history. I could also put up some information about famous guitar legands and guitarists from Albany.
Give some positive feedback below by leaving a comment!

Monday, April 6, 2009

Sailing Inspires Nathaniel!


Hi I am Nathaniel from Denmark SHS,

I think that I would like to find out more about Albany’s sailboats. As I'm a sailor I would like to find out more about the history of the sport of sailing in Albany.

It's the 100th year of the Princess Royal Sailing Club and I've been reading some of the history and
found it rather interesting! Especially the size of some of the fleets used and how it was a big sport it was for Albany.

I would like to exhibit it as a small boat in the Museum but it would not be practical so I'll probably end up exhibiting my project in pictures and movies.

Thanks,
Nathaniel


Give some positive feedback below by leaving a comment!

Thursday, April 2, 2009

Lucy's Inspiration

Hi, I'm Lucy M from Great Southern Grammar!

This picture isn't a photo that I took but it still provides inspiration and also this sort of clothing isn't easy to got hold of to take photos of.

I chose this picture because early 1900 clothing would be my idea for an exhibit. It inspires me because there would have been a lot of work and labour put into making these clothes and that shouldn't be forgotten.

Back then they didn't have machines to do the boring bits for them, so most of it was done by hand, I think maybe this could be the start of an idea for a exhibition. We could run a workshop of making and wearing olden style clothing.

Thanks,
Lucy!

Let Lucy know what you think of her exhibition idea and give her some positive feedback by making a positive comment below.

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Commissioner for Children and Young People inspired by Indigenous Message Sticks



The Commissioner for Children and Young People Michelle Scott showed three hand made message sticks to the young people at the xhIBIT alBANY workshop. The message sticks were made by Noel Nannup and represented Indigenous and non-indigenous Australians coming together, sharing and valuing what is important.


Monday, March 30, 2009

John Woodbury and the Albany Pitcher Plant!

John Woodbury, owner operator of local Albany Whale Tours imagines a huge Dr Who like plant that lures and traps insects.

“The Albany Pitcher Plant Cephalotus Follicularis is found in one small location in Albany” he said.

“It is found nowhere else in the world. It is such an amazing plant as it contains bacteria and digestive juices that dissolve the insects that fall into its trap.”

John is now pondering how he would exhibit this plant to inspire others.

How would you exhibit your passion to inspire others? Comment Below!!

Many thanks to www.collectorscorner.com.au for the photograph of the Albany Pitcher Plant

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Gilbert's Potoroo - Tony Friend

Tony Friend is the Principal Research Scientist in Albany for the Department of Environment and Conservation.

Tony is very passionate about Albany and the Gilbert's Potoroo - Australia's most endangered mammal.

For the past 10 years Tony has dedicated his work to the conservation of this small marsupial.

The Gilbert's Potoroo is slightly smaller than a rabbit with a very thick grey-brown coat. The only place they are found in the world is within dense scrub on a ruggered, windswept area near the Southern Ocean.


Interesting fact! The Gilbert's Potoroo was originally named as "Ngil-gyte" by the local Indigenous people.

Stay tuned for the Millennium Kids radio interview with Tony Friend to be posted shortly!

For more info on the Potteroo head to: http://www.potoroo.org/

Many thanks to Dick Walker and the Gilbert’s Potoroo Action Group for the above photograph of the Gilbert's Potoroo.

50's fashion - Tessa Moncrieff


Hi, I'm Tessa and I am 25 and I am a Millennium Kid.
I am coming to Albany to work with the young people during xhIBIT alBANY.

I am going to exhibit a collection I made of my mothers 1950’s paper dolls. I found them in a shoebox when I was a child and they have always fascinated me. So when I was a fashion student at Edith Cowan University I used these dolls as the theme for my major exhibition.