First World War: Then and Now
The project involved people who live in Southwark, particularly those from diverse ethnic communities. Southwark is home to a number of communities whose ancestral nations were involved in the First World War, and so many participants in the project had a personal link to the stories they discovered.
Community historian Stephen Bourne, author of Black Poppies, was closely involved and supported participants to develop a touring exhibition which was displayed at venues across Southwark. To reach as wide an audience as possible the exhibition toured leisure centres, libraries, a youth centre, secondary schools, universities and the Bryards estate. To accompany the exhibition, Stephen held talks and workshops for local residents to give further interpretation and context.
Twenty-five volunteers were trained to be ‘exhibition explainers’, organised by young people from a local community group, Integrated Afro-Caribbean Awareness. This opportunity was very popular and more volunteers were recruited and trained than had been anticipated. Two volunteers were inspired to develop a workshop on the topic for a local school for children with special educational needs.