A group of young people conducting an archaeological excavation

Hands-on archaeology for young people across the UK

The Young Archaeologists’ Club (YAC) is the only UK-wide club where 8–16 year olds can participate in real archaeology and discover why it matters. If you want to become a professional archaeologist in the future or just feel like taking up an amazing new hobby, YAC is the right place for you!

About YAC
Young person cleaning archaeological finds

Club spotlight: Peak District YAC

Peak District YAC are based in Matlock  but also visit different venues around the Peak District for a range of indoor and outdoor activities, sometimes exploring a theme such as Ancient Egypt or Roman food, sometimes exploring archaeological methods such as building recording or excavation. Their recent activities include exploring historical graffiti, planning a historical fancy dress party and recreating coprolites!

“What activity lets you climb hills, cook strange historical recipes, explore ancient crafts and uncover stories from the past? Where do young people grow from curious eight-year-olds into adventurous teenagers? YAC, of course!”

Peak District YAC

A group of adults all wearing blue t shirts. Two on the right are holding measuring sticks, whilst the two on the left are holding measuring tapes.

Become a volunteer

Our 80+ YACs across the UK could not operate without the hard work and dedication of over 500 volunteers. Find out more about volunteering with one of our existing CBA-managed YAC branches on our volunteering page.

We are also working on developing volunteering opportunities for our older YAC members. You can find out more about this on our Young Leaders Pathway page.

If you’re interested in starting a new YAC branch, visit our Set up a new club page to find out about the different types of branches we run and the support we offer our YAC leaders.

Become a volunteer