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The People's Story

‘The People’s Story’ has been created through partnership between Age Exchange and London & Quadrant Housing Trust. This exciting project offers residents from Enfield Island and Edmonton the opportunity to embrace their culture and share their experiences with others. The Peoples Story is all about bringing the old and young from different communities and cultures together, to share in group work, arts activity, and to record their personal and community histories, leading to a wide range of creative outputs. The area suffered for some time from a high level of unemployment (specifically youth unemployment) and deprivation. Since 1999 it has experienced a major period of regeneration. The project will span across two areas in Enfield and Edmonton, both steeped in cultural heritage. Enfield Island Village is renowned for the famous Arms factory, which was previously situated on the site. Many retired arms factory workers are likely to participate in the project along with local youth, older residents in care and new arrivals to the area from diverse communities. ‘The People’s Story’ will offer people a variety of different ways to get involved, so it will capture everyone's imagination. There will be reminiscence workshops, personal interviews, an exhibition, a large-scale intergenerational reminiscence theatre production, and a documentary of the whole project, to be premiered at The British Film Institute, Southbank.
	Edmonton

	Enfield Island former home of the famous Arms Factory

Aim of project

To deliver an 18- month project that will bring residents of all ages and communities together, which will explore individual and cultural heritage through a major programme of intergenerational work.

Objectives

Enable opportunities for learning and creativity between the generations
Empower the community enabling it to have a voice
Enable young and old to learn new skills in arts, media and heritage
Promote community cohesion

Take part

The ultimate aim of the project is that it results in a new and ongoing Enfield and Edmonton Intergenerational Festival.
If you would like to know more about the project, take part or contribute a memory please call or email David Savill (Artistic Director) at Age Exchange on 020 8318 9105 or at davidsavill@age-exchange.org.uk

Stage 1 - Process

Delivery of 8 reminiscence projects

Delivery of 30 filmed/recorded interviews

Training for local artists and community workers in reminiscence work and ethics

This first stage is all about encouraging the whole community to take part, to enjoy the activities on offer, and to begin the process of sharing memories, experience, and cultural stories and song. We will deliver 4 projects in Enfield and 4 in Edmonton, with local community groups, care settings and youth groups. Many of these we have already met, with each signed up to taking part. The group has the opportunity to share individual memories of childhood, community, cultural, and family heritage. Participation is inspired by handling of artifacts, music and movement, archive and current documentary film, and shared reminiscence within the group. Each group session is recorded with 30 participants going on to give filmed interviews in which memories of the locality, of journeys from other countries, of childhood, work, and play, will be recorded for use in the exhibition, theatre production and documentary of the project.

Stage 2 - A touring exhibition

The exhibition will include transcribed material and memories from the earlier projects and interviews, as well as photographs, filmed interviews, archive film and sound, and artefacts. It will record ‘The People’s Story’, in a vivid, colourful and powerful manner. Through presenting people’s memories through a high quality product we have found that individuals and communities not only feel valued but inspired to take part in more activity and to encourage other more isolated than themselves to take part.

The exhibition will tour the locality and the wider City of London, raising the profile of the community, the project, and marketing the work of L & Q in serving the people who it supports.

Stage 3 - The intergenerational theatre production at The Millfield Theatre.

The most challenging, exciting and rewarding stage – The production/the new play is the culmination of the process and the projects. People taking part have experienced isolation or exclusion in their lives, which makes their taking part all the more remarkable. Participants from stage 1 will be invited to take part. We will then work with a youth group and older people’s group separately at first, teaching them new skills in performance as well as exploring how to make a memory a scene or song. After a short period of preparing the generations separately a period of 30 devised and scripted rehearsals will take place for everyone leading to a high profile series of performances at The Millfield Theatre in Edmonton.

Conclusion - The documentary film

The film is a documentary of the process from start to finish. It’s a warts and all approach. It will be fly on the wall style, observing the way people grow in confidence, become a team, share remarkable life warming as well as courageous experiences, and then through exhibition and then performance, dance and song, go onto share their cultures and memories with the general public. The film would be completed after the theatre production and through our contacts would be guaranteed a premiere high profile showing at The British Film Institute, Southbank – an occasion for participants, partners, funders, professionals and politicians.

Partners

What is quite unique is the commitment from local organisations to ensure that this project is an outstanding success. For many years L&Q has worked very closely with local residents and organisations. Their enthusiasm to be involved in ' The Peoples Story' is heart warming and will be essential in helping to bring all the diverse communities together to participate in ‘The People’s Story’.

Partner organisations include:

Enfield Island Youth & Community Trust
KATRE (Kurdish and Turkish Residents of Enfield)
Oasis Trust
Edmonton high School and Oasis Academy
Edmonton College (who provide ESOL classes)
Northside Youth – who work with young people with disabilities
Local Methodist church
Oasis Church groups
North London Neighborhood Committee/Community Board

Sustainability

This is what we hope to achieve

Old and young have taken on leadership roles in volunteering on the development of an intergenerational project as well as taking part in other activities in the community
Young people inspired to study: social care, nursing, new media, visual and performance arts, languages and history. Many have gone on to gain employment in these fields.
Older people have shown improved levels of confidence and self esteem also creating new lasting friendships.
Older people have started study in subjects of interest experienced through the intergenerational project.

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Registered Office 11 Blackheath Village, London SE3 9LA Registered as Charity No: 326899
Patrons: Roy Hudd OBE Glenda Jackson MP Rt. Hon. Nick Raynsford MP Sir Sigmund Sternberg KCSG JP Baroness Greengross OBE