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UEL engages young and old in innovative new History project

Friday 22 January 2010

The University of East London (UEL) has been awarded almost £30,000 funding by the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation for a new dynamic education project based at the Raphael Samuel History Centre at the Bishopsgate Institute in the City.

Young History Workshop (YHW) is due to run from May 2010 until April 2011 and will involve students aged 14-18 from six to eight state secondary schools in the Greater London area. The project aims to engage young people in History and to encourage them into a History-related career.

Students will research, write and present historical projects of their choice relating to a broader theme of ‘Them and Us’. Their work will be supported by archives and museum visits and presented at the Young History Workshop Day in March 2011.

History teachers with academic historians will be on hand to help out, as will a host of others including archivists and museum curators. A UEL project officer will also work in the schools providing guidance at workshop sessions.

Barbara Taylor, UEL-based Director of the Raphael Samuel History Centre said: “This is a really exciting learning initiative that doesn’t just belong to professional historians.

“Everyone can contribute towards our understanding of the past because it helps to bring the present and future into perspective too. History doesn’t just belong to professional historians and this programme is set to prove that. It will be an educational and enjoyable journey for all the young people involved.”

YHW is a major part of the Raphael Samuel History Centre’s wider outreach agenda. The Centre, which is a partnership between UEL, Birkbeck College, and Bishopsgate Institute, is developing new practices in history teaching, especially the collaboration of young people working with academic professionals to produce high-quality presentations in a ‘real world’ setting.

The Raphael Samuel History Centre has already run a number of events and projects aimed at young people, including an oral history project on boys clubs in East London, a 'Young Adventurers' club for historical outings, and a debate titled 'Bad Kids? The Politics of Childhood Past and Present.’

Notes to Editors

The University of East London (UEL) is a global learning community with over 28,000 students from over 120 countries world-wide. Our vision is to achieve recognition, both nationally and internationally, as a successful and inclusive regional university proud of its diversity, committed to new modes of learning which focus on students and enhance their employability, and renowned for our contribution to social, cultural and economic development, especially through our research and scholarship. We have a strong track-record in widening participation and working with industry.

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