WHO AM I: CELEBRATING

CULTURE AND IDENTITY

The Who Am I project is an 8-week programme that encourages young people to explore their heritage and culture through fun and interactive workshops and activities.

Participants develop valuable skills such as public speaking, research techniques, and interview skills. At the end of the programme, learners will record and share their oral histories, contributing to an archive that reflects how young people identify with and interpret their heritage and cultural backgrounds.

Throughout the programme, we’ve explored how musical instruments, languages, traditional attire, and cultural practices shape personal and collective identity.

We’ve also questioned what it means to be British—especially for those of mixed or dual heritage.

Through regular discussions, where students share aspects of their own cultures with classmates, we’ve discovered many commonalities across different cultural backgrounds.

Having now passed the halfway point, I’ve seen a significant increase in confidence among the young people at both Preston Park Primary School and St Claudine’s Catholic School for Girls.

I’ve particularly enjoyed adapting the delivery to suit the needs of both primary and secondary cohorts—providing more space for deeper conversations with the secondary students, while delivering engaging, bite-sized learning for our younger learners.

I’m incredibly excited to see how the young people choose to share their stories with the world through their oral histories.

Their voices will not only preserve personal narratives but also challenge and enrich our collective understanding of culture and identity.

Words: Lyvonne Saunders, Heritage Facilitator