Young Cultural Creators 3
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Young Cultural Creators (YCC) is a learning project model that brings together libraries, schools, archives/museums and authors or artists. You can find out more at. As this was the third year that we have run this project, the basic format for the sessions was now a well-oiled routine. Our task consisted mainly of tweaking small parts of it, based on the feedback from last year, to make it even better.
First library session
The project consisted of four sessions. The first was held at Holborn Library on 8 November 2007. The class were introduced to the topic - Victorian Social Reformers. They were divided into four groups and each group was given a reformer to research. The four reformers were
- Rowland Hill
- Lord Shaftsbury
- Millicent Fawcett
- Charles Dickens.
Children used library books and the computer suite to conduct their research. Children who weren’t already members of the library signed up for library cards. All seemed to have enjoyed finding out more about the library service.
BPMA visit
A week later, on 14 November 2007, the class again left their classroom and this time visited The Royal Mail Archive in Freeling House.
Left: Year 6 get ideas from photocopies of our Victorian illustrated envelopes.
Right: Artist/author Chris Wormell comments on some of the designs
Below left: Teacher Craig Ashworth gives some advice on envelope design
Last year the only negative feedback concerned the length of time for which children had to sit on the floor and listen to adults talking. This session therefore concentrated on keeping them constantly moving around the room. When they were sitting down, we made sure they were always involved and answering questions. This seemed to work well and the class seemed engaged throughout the hour and a half that they were with us.
We talked to them about the BPMA and what the work of an archive involves. We compared the system of ordering documents in the Search Room to the way you order products at Argos. This is a simile used by my former colleague Steve Gardam, and it always works well as it relates to something the children are familiar with.
The class then moved to the tables where BPMA Learning & Events Officer, we showed them a number of interesting and varied archival documents. We then moved on to talking about what they had learnt at the library about the social reformers.
We showed them some original illustrated envelopes from the R M Phillips Collection which promote the cause of Ocean Penny Postage.
I then passed over to Chris Wormell who did a brilliant job of showing the children how these illustrated envelopes put across a meaning through images. He then did the same caricature activity that was used last year but demonstrated how you could make each child look like, for example, a wealthy gentleman, a poor child working down a mine etc, and thus put across some of the messages the key reformers were promoting.
Children then began to design their own illustrated envelopes to promote the cause of the reformer that they had researched.
The quality of the work they produced was really stunning and it was clear that every child had absorbed Chris’s advice on putting across a message through images.
At the end of the session we asked each child to write down one good thing about their time at the BPMA and also if there was anything that they had not enjoyed. The result was extremely positive, and included: ‘I loved everything in the trip and loved what Chris did’, and ‘It was fun in here, can we come again?’
Third library session
The third library session on 22 November 2007 involved cutting out and folding up their envelopes. It was gratifying to see how much pleasure the children derived from it.
Celebration event
At the celebration event, I gave certificates to every child involved. Chris Wormell donated a book and a poster to the class as a whole and chose two winners to receive special prizes for their envelopes.
BPMA YCC in the future
Any future YCC projects will be lead by Clare Stephens. If you would like to find out more about YCC at the BPMA, please contact her by email: clare.stephens@postalheritage.org.uk, or by telephone, 020 7239 2114.