Who we are
Hands On! is an international network of museum professionals.
From institution to professional
Hands On! International Association of Children in Museums is a non-profit network of museum professionals with its office located in Graz, Austria. Currently the organization consists of approximately 120 members from 40 different countries. These range from large organizations to committed individual museum professionals.
We offer different kinds of memberships, please check which one is suitable for you!
Why?We believe museums can play a crucial role in the stimulation of curiosity, creativity and informal, lifelong learning. Museums provide a valuable addition to what children can learn and experience at school or at home.
Any museum, science centre or professional dedicated to making museums more fun for children is welcome to join Hands On!
‘What an inspiration!’
Petra Katzenstein, of the Jewish Historical Museum, Amsterdam: ‘Our museum became a member of Hands On! after the first conference in the Netherlands in 1996. We didn’t have a children’s museum at the time. 80 participants of the Hands On! conference visited our museum and gave us ideas on how we could best serve a young audience. What an inspiration! Three years later we opened a Children’s Museum, larger and better than we had ever dreamed possible. The Hands On! delegation gave us confidence and a network that still helps us today.’