Young People – Purani Yaadein

Involvement

The Purani Yaadein project came about from an idea by the young people themselves so it’s been great to see how they have acquired new skills through being involved. The initiative allowed them an ideal opportunity to own and develop the project, which has led to them learning about the significant contribution their parents and grand-parents have made to society. Simultaneously it has also enhanced the young people’s pride in their heritage.This page provides a small insight into their experiences

Without the input of the young participants, this project would not have been possible. They have been instrumental in helping us capture a fascinating and historical journey.

Testimonials

I’m really glad to have been a part of the Heritage project and I’ve it’s been really interesting about finding out about the hard work the elders have put in to our community

Dawood Nasir (Aged 16)

The project has been really interesting, especially seeing the sights. I enjoyed getting to know more about my local places

Mahad Malik (Aged 16)

The Heritage Project has allowed me to learn about the struggles the elder community went through, including my own grandad. I didn’t know the things I know now and it makes me feel fortunate and proud

Ibrahim Nasir (Aged 17)

I really enjoyed going to visit different elders at their homes and at the community centres. It’s been great to be part of a project where we have been recording the stories of our elders. We have some real characters amongst our elders.

Iesa Rashid (Aged 19)

Idris Aslam (Aged 19)

A living archive is well overdue for the next generation. It’s been refreshing to sit with our elders and start a conversation that has revealed so many amazing stories.

Sami Muhammad (Aged 21)

If you ‘d normally ask me to wake up early on a Saturday to come visit the museum, or interview some stranger, I would probably ignore you. Surprisingly on this project, it has been kind of fun to go and listen to elders sharing their deep and exciting memories.

Mustafa Saeed (Aged 19)

I didn’t realise how so many buildings we pass in our day to day have some story that relates to our first generation. So many stories have been lost and its been important to collect as many as we could over this year gone by.

Emaan Ali (Aged 17)

This was such an important project to be involved in, as our generation are so unaware of the stories that have resulted in our community being what it is today. The sacrifices made by those elders need to be recorded so that further generations can continue to explore their heritage.

Adeel Shah (Aged 19)

We’ve learned to appreciate their sacrifices and hard work despite their limitations. Even if they were bullied or were victims of racism, they were proud of where they came from and held onto their language, traditions and values. I feel motivated to hold onto my traditions and cultural values as a result of being part of this project

Vareesha Ali (Aged 19)

Fascinating to learn about our first generation who were hardworking and dedicated people who left their homes and villages on a government voucher scheme, went half way around the world on to work long hours, enduring the cold climate and living in crowded damp house.

Young Person (Aged 19)

It was great to go on a site visit day with some of the elders in which we visited different locations of significance to the first generation and seeing the sight of the Catton foundry where my grandad worked in the 1960’s

Young Person