Exploring Our Roots

The Collection is arranged into the following series:
• Original photographs and display material
• Oral History Interviews
• Interview transcripts
• Donated photographs
• Project Outputs
• Miscellaneous Project Material

American New York school policy

24 hours notice is required to view this collection. Material will then be accessible through Manchester Central Library Search Room, Manchester Central Library, St. Peters Square, Manchester, M2 5PD. To access this collection please contact: rrarchive@manchester.ac.uk

The project that we now call Exploring Our Roots happened in two stages with two different sources of funding. The Community History Project, also known as 'Hearts and Homes' started in 2001 and was funded by The Progress Trust. The project aimed to train secondary school pupils from Manchester schools in oral history skills, then supporting them to carry out interviews with the elders from their own ethnic communities. The schools involved in this phase of the project were: ? Oakwood School, focusing on the Sikh community? Burnage High and Levenshulme High, focusing on the Bangladeshi community? Abraham Moss School, focusing on the Pakistani community

The second phase of the project was called Exploring Our Roots and was funded through the Heritage Lottery Fund Young Roots scheme. This phase followed the same format as the previous phase, and was completed in 2005. The schools involved were:? Trinity High, focusing on the African-Caribbean community? St Thomas Aquianas, focusing on the West African community? Cedar Mount, focusing on the Chinese community

A number of elders from the Indian community were also interviewed at the Indian Senior Citizen's Centre in Whalley Range. Pupils from across the rest of the project carried out these interviews.

Staff that worked on this project included: Ann Hardy, who was seconded from Manchester City Council's Diversity and Inclusion Team as the project worker. Kooj Chuhan trained the pupils in using the AV recording equipment. For each community oral history interviews were collected, and interviewees donated copies of photographs. A celebration event and exhibition was held at the school for each community. This material is in the archive. A set of posters was created telling the story of each community. Other project outputs were Exploring Our Roots Teaching Pack, Roots and Journeys book, Strength of Spirit book about the Bangladeshi community.