"What does Birmingham need and want from its museums, now and in the future; and what should Birmingham Museums Trust do to make these things happen?"

To answer this question, in August 2024, thousands of Birmingham residents received an invitation through the post as Birmingham Museums Trust made history by introducing the UK's first Citizens' Jury in a museum setting. This innovative initiative aimed to reshape the future of Birmingham's museums by directly involving local residents in the decision-making process.

The Citizens’ Jury is part of a fundamental transformation of Birmingham Museums Trust to a resilient and financially sustainable organisation with the structure, culture, skilled workforce and audience insights to deliver its ambitious vision.

The group of Citizens' Jury participants.

On 30 January 2025 at a special event at Thinktank, Birmingham Science Museum, the recommendations from the Citizens Jury were unveiled.

"It is important for our museums to involve and represent the communities they are responsible to, i.e. the people of Birmingham, and they shouldn’t be precious about doing so. We deserve museums that are proud of us, that we can be proud of, that celebrate what’s unique about Birmingham. The voice of the museum is to some extent, the voice of the people, and we want everyone to hear us a mile coming."

Birmingham Museums Citizens’ Jury statement, 2025.

In February 2025 Birmingham Museums Trust will be having a series of conversations with the Jurors to gain a deeper understanding of their recommendations and will be sharing its response in March 2025.

About Birmingham Museums Citizens’ Jury

The Birmingham Museums Citizens’ Jury was commissioned by Birmingham Museums Trust with support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. The Jury ran from September to November 2024 and was facilitated by Shared Future.

About Shared Future

Shared Future is a community interest company working across the UK. Its aim is to provide an excellent service that makes a difference to communities and individuals and works towards a fairer, more equal society. Its mission is to move those they engage with towards greater individual and collective authority and autonomy, by supporting their ability to act wisely, confidently and in community with others.