The Living History Project was funded by:

Awards for All

'Awards for All' is a joint awards programme set up to help small groups in Northern Ireland. The main aim of this programme is to fund projects which involve people in their community, bringing them together to enjoy a wide range of arts, sport, heritage, charitable and/or community, educational, environmental and health related activities.

  
   
  in association with:

Verbal Arts Centre

The vision of the Verbal Arts Centre is to be a place where everyone can: 'Tell Your Story'. The Verbal Arts Centre is an educational charity founded in 1992. In 2000 the Centre moved its premises to the beautifully refurbished First Derry School, a listed building which occupies a prime location on the city's walls. The Verbal Arts Centre creates opportunities for young people in and out of school, adults, older people and professionals including teachers, students, writers and storytellers to explore all aspects of the verbal arts.		  
   
  Dark Horse Venture/ Inside Out

The Dark Horse Venture is a national charity which seeks to give older people from all kinds of backgrounds, the opportunity to develop hidden talents and play their part in their local communities and the wider world. This has been achieved through a structured award scheme which encourages older people to set themselves goals within their own individual abilities and circumstances.

The Inside Out project is designed to enable frail older people, and those with sensory impairment and disabilities, to still feel needed and valued. It has encouraged older people from sheltered housing and residential homes, as well as those who live alone, to become involved in worthwhile activities, such as collecting pencils, pens and paper for schools in Malawi and knitting blankets for Romanian orphans.

There are significant health values for older people resulting from taking part in shared activities. Taking part in meaningful activities through Inside Out has been shown to alleviate loneliness and boredom and to encourage personal optimism and well-being.

This year Inside Out has been involved in reminiscence work, recalling memories of life in the 1940s. This living history will be used to produce educational materials for primary schools.

In Derry, groups of older people from sheltered housing, residential homes and community groups have been recording their memories at the Verbal Arts Centre. This has resulted in the production of a website.

The website can also be seen at an exhibition at the Grosvenor Centre in Belfast on 17th November. Memories, photographs and artefacts collected by older people from all over Northern Ireland will be displayed. Stories and photographs will tell how we lived through the war years. There are also memories of school days, fashion, homes and daily life during the period.

To accompany the exhibition we are publishing a book of memories and photographs and a DVD which will be available for schools and reminiscence work.