Museums hand over operations to children for a day

ANKARA

For one extraordinary day, Türkiye’s museums belonged entirely to children: As part of the global “Museum Takeover Day,” young visitors across the country seized control — from selling tickets and guiding tours to running official social media accounts.

Young participants in the capital Ankara’s Erimtan Archaeology and Arts Museum stepped into the roles of guides, collection managers, security staff and even administrators, gaining a behind-the-scenes understanding of how a museum functions beyond the visitor experience.

Erimtan Musesum, the first in Türkiye to adopt the U.K.-originated “Kids in Museums” initiative, has hosted the project since 2019 and implemented it for the sixth time this year.

The museum’s events and project manager, Pelin Okvuran, said Erimtan has become a key cultural hub in Ankara since its opening in 2015, offering year-round workshops, talks, concerts and temporary exhibitions.

She noted that children apply to the program with their own letters of motivation and undergo an orientation process that often leads to new friendships and long-term bonds with the museum.

According to Okvuran, the initiative helps cultivate a sense of ownership and cultural awareness at an early age. “It is a very meaningful project that encourages children to love museums and understand the value of cultural heritage,” she said, adding that many return year after year and remain connected to Erimtan as they grow.

Families, she stressed, are also an essential part of the experience, sharing the museum environment with their children.

One participant, Derin Gülgen, who served as social media manager for the day, said she enjoyed producing videos and preparing a small catalogue of replica objects.

The initiative extended beyond Ankara as numerous museums across the country joined the campaign. In the northwestern province of Çanakkale, Troy Museum hosted its third edition, with 16 children assuming roles for the day.