[T]hanks to a £2,900 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, young people from Barrow will be making a film and capturing the town’s diverse voices in a project to celebrate the multicultural history of Furness.
Over the next six months youth charity Brathay Trust and Furness Multicultural Community Forum’s Youth Club are working together with Signal Film & Media on a project called ‘Talking Histories’. The project aims to support young people in learning about, documenting and sharing Barrow’s history and heritage. And it celebrates the town’s cultural diversity to foster a greater understanding and acceptance of difference.
Brathay youth worker, Natalia Wealleans-Turner, who is works from the charity’s Barrow base, The Hub on Cavendish Street, said: “This is a wonderful opportunity for young people to capture the voices of others who bring a great richness to our community. They will become curators researching and recording culture, customs and faith whilst learning new skills.
“We have recruited both senior and junior members from the Furness Multi-Cultural Youth Club to work alongside Sophie Broadgate from Signal Film & Media.
“Over the coming months they will be getting to grips with the technical aspect of film production including recording and editing video footage. They will be tasked with producing a short film celebrating the area’s multicultural past and present as well as interviewing locals from the Black, Minority and Ethnic community (BME) to create oral histories of their experience of living in Barrow” added Natalia.
The youth group will present their work to the wider community including their friends, families and local dignitaries in a special launch event on Friday 14th September at Signal Film & Media on Abbey Road. The film will then continue to be used as a resource to welcome new members of the BME community to the town.
Anyone who wants to find out more can contact Brathay’s Barrow youth worker, Natalia Wealleans-Turner, at [email protected]