“I Think You Should Make All Museum Exhibitions with This Approach”: Benefits and Challenges in Co-creating an Exhibition at a Science Museum with Young People

This study examines the benefits and challenges of involving young people aged 12–22 years as co-creators of an exhibition at a science museum in Aarhus, Denmark. Using mixed methods, the study showed how the young people experienced personal development as their participation fostered both educational and social impact while museum curators gained insights into the perspectives of the young people, resulting in a more relevant exhibition for the target group. However, the museum curators must be willing to share power and leave room for the participants’ input throughout the process, which was challenging at times while also ensuring the exhibition met formal requirements. This affected the young peoples’ sense of being co-creators and their experience of co-ownership of the final exhibition. For co-creation to be successful, both parties must be acknowledged as experts with knowledge of different things, as both the process and the final product are crucial to achieve value creation.