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
A group of children and adults gathered in front of a reconstructed Anglo-Saxon house on a sunny day.

Club spotlight: Mick Aston’s Young Archaeologists

Mick Aston’s Young Archaeologists or ‘MAYA’ is based at the Museum of Somerset in Taunton. In the last year their monthly sessions have included prehistoric art, visits to WWII archaeological sites and experimental archaeology!

“It’s hard to believe that it’s been 10 years since we first launched MAYA back in April 2016! Mick Aston’s Young Archaeologists was set up at the request of and in memory of Prof Mick Aston who was very keen to start a YAC branch for Somerset. MAYA has been very fortunate to have the support of archaeologists and volunteers enabling us to offer our members some amazing opportunities.”

MAYA 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