West Midlands: "Journeys"
'Journeys' is a partnership project with the Well-Being Workshop and SureStart in Balsall Heath, Birmingham. This group of pre and post-natal mums is very diverse and includes women who have arrived in this country more recently, and are hard to reach, as well as those who belong to more well established ethnic groups.
The project is designed to encourage the women to understand better the history and culture of Britain and recognise the contribution that different communities have been making to the cultural and built environment in which they live. By looking at the history of immigration and the influence that successive new arrivals have had on architectural style within the West Midlands during the last 2000 years, this project seeks to give the women a sense of belonging to a shared history and heritage and to see their own place, in the present and also in the future as their own new communities become more established.
This project offers these women the experience of visiting buildings of historic and cultural importance outside the immediate area of the SureStart premises. Visits so far have included a Roman site (Wroxeter), a monastery (Wenlock Priory) a Norman Castle (Kenilworth), a Serbian-Croatian Church and a Burmese Buddhist Peace Pagoda.
Many women in the group do not venture far from their own community boundaries. Experiencing new places, new cultures, new ideas and perspectives is not only important for their own lives, but also for those of their children. Breaking down the barriers for individuals within the group about how to access historic places in the countryside and new spaces within the City is also important in the project.
The group document the trips and what they learn about British history and culture through photos and text in personal journals which chart their 'Journeys' of discovery.
This project has been nominated as a finalist for a national Partners in Excellence award
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