Stories of the World, which is part of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad, aims to showcase innovation and excellence in museums, libraries and archives to a worldwide audience. It welcomes the world to Britain by using our rich collections to tell inspirational stories about the UK's relationships with the world. The project is led by Arts Council England in partnership with the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG).

Young people are at the heart of the project, working in partnership with curators to uncover objects that tell stories that resonate with their interests. It is the largest youth participation project ever delivered by museums with more than 1,500 young people already recruited as curators to lead and develop the projects.

Instead of the traditional curators' or historians' view, audiences will hear stories from the viewpoint of people from diverse cultures, now living in the UK. Objects once bypassed for being reminders of our imperial past will now be examined and given more relevance to contemporary Britain.

Stories of the World aims to bring collections alive and connect them to new audiences through a process of reinterpretation, in partnership with young people and communities.

Follow Stories of the World on twitter or find a project near you.