Projects, Workshops & Resources
Designed to support you and your learners in building empathy, self-respect and respect for one another and the planet
Drain Art
Our latest project has started well with pupil workshops in 3 schools – St Michael’s Middle, Colehill, Heatherlands Primary, Poole, and Mudeford Junior, Christchurch, exploring the impact of litter on our local and global environment.
The pupils have been very engaged and have already come up with great ideas and ‘drain art’ designs to be created. With the help of an artist some of these will be installed in the local community to raise awareness about the issues of pollution on our rivers and the sea.
This project has made been possible thanks to funding from the Wessex Water Foundation Environment Fund via Dorset Community Foundation. We are currently seeking more funding to take this Drain Art work across the county and into South Wiltshire schools, helping children everywhere become active, responsible local and global citizens!
Where We Can Call Home
DEED has been working with Citizens Advice Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) for the past two years to learn more about the rich, cultural heritage of BCP, its challenges and its successes. ‘Where We Can Call Home’ is a community heritage project telling the stories of people from BCP’s ethnically diverse communities and how their journeys from different places have led them to make BCP their home.
Our team of community researchers have recorded over 50 interviews with local people, many of whom are here working, others are here to learn, some are even here for love. There are so many reasons why people have come to BCP, but all are building their own lives, which is not always easy, and has taken resilience, ingenuity and resourcefulness.
Many of those interviewed went on to share their stories through performance and talks as part of a programme of storytelling events. Vita Nova’s Celeste; Unity in Vision; Ukrainian Community Dorset; Kainaat; and Africa Comes to Bournemouth all created events where people shared their unique perspectives on identity and belonging. Poonam Paranjpe and Noah Messomo who were also interviewed, visited local schools to tell their stories to the children and share with them aspects of their Indian or African cultural heritage. Our ‘Talking Tings’ podcast hosted by Ebi Sosseh, one of our community researchers, explored local African, Caribbean and British perspectives on food, culture, education and family life. Interviews will be shared on a new website and become part of Dorset History Centre’s archives.
People’s incredible journeys, told beautifully, immerse you in their world, just for a moment. They provoke questions of us, as listeners, about how we can change our communities for the better.
PLACE
Paths to Learning: Active Community Exploration. The PLACE project puts children at the heart of the action with Place Based Learning (PBL) as they respond to their community’s needs through active citizenship.
This Erasmus+ funded project offers schools locally the chance to work together with schools and partners in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Cumbria to explore their sense of place, and develop skills to be able to take action to look after and protect it.
From engaging with the community to reduce single use plastic, to designing and creating therapeutic and natural garden spaces for all to enjoy, to creating a Quest for others to explore, our children can make meaningful interventions as active citizens in their community.
Place based learning (PBL) is about a deep connection with people and place through emotions and knowledge... it is concerned with the interconnecting systems of environmental protection, community development and social justice - the very essence of sustainability. (Cooper 2016)
Diverse Stories
This new pupil workshop provides a ‘golden thread’ of learning about diversity in the UK throughout the curriculum.
DEED was lucky enough to be invited to run our new Diverse Stories pupil workshops as part of Prince of Wales First School’s Heritage Week.
From Preschool to Year 4, we explored the real-life stories of people who live, or were born, in the UK but have heritage from around the world. Each person had achieved great things through their love of sport, science, education, or singing and dancing.
Each year group had a literacy hook, as each person had either written a book or had one written about them and together, we learnt how they overcame difficulties and setbacks to fulfil their dreams. Each class was given with a copy of the book we’d talked about.
After visiting each class, we ended the day with a whole school assembly celebrating how we can all make people feel welcome, both at school and in our community, and how, against many odds, people can do the most wonderful things.
DEED’s Diverse Stories workshop is now available for all First and Primary schools. To find out more contact Louise at DEED.
Objects & Stories
The Museum of East Dorset has been a long-term collaborator on many DEED heritage projects. Most recently we worked together with Drama Specialist, Sharon Muiruri Coyne, on the Objects and Stories project. This brought together young refugees from around the world who are now studying at Bournemouth & Poole College to explore issues of home, identity and being part of a community.
To find out more contact Louise at DEED.
Many Faiths Living Together
TThis exciting partnership between DEED, Dorset Race Equality Council and 5 Community Leaders representing 5 world faiths and movements including Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Christianity and Humanism helped students from local schools connect with different faiths and cultures.
We discussed controversial global and moral issues with students, helping to reduce fear and prejudice against those of another faith or cultural background. We thank Allenbourn Middle, Budmouth Academy, Ferndown Middle, Ferndown Upper and St Aldhelm’s Academy for welcoming us into their schools.
Although this project is now finished, as a team we are still very keen to continue and find new funding for this invaluable work.
To find out more contact DEED.
Women’s Vote 100
Women’s Vote 100 is a project empowering Dorset’s Young Women and Young Gypsy, Roma and Traveller (GRT) people to have a voice in their community.
Funded by the Women’s Vote Centenary Grant Scheme, this project has created a partnership between DEED, the Arts Development Company, Dorset Race Equality Council, Kushti Bok and Life Changing Choices.
Artistic Director, Sharon Muiruri Coyne worked in collaboration with project partners to lead workshops with young GRT students in St Aldhelm’s Academy, Poole. During these sessions, the young women learnt about the Suffragettes, Gypsy, Roma and Traveller culture; and how local decision making can often affect their communities.
Together with Kushti Bok, a GRT community group giving local GRT communities a voice, and Life Changing Choices, a GRT led community non-contact boxing club, they created a film called Ghost Gypsy. This featured a young Traveller woman, travelling through time which helped her to understand where she came from and be proud of her identity.
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