Back-a-yard

Back-a-yard

Two young people look at a photo
Young people carry out research for the project

Our Heritage

Stow Hill
Newport
SEWREC
£51200
This project was designed to give young people the opportunity to preserve the heritage of the African Caribbean community living in Newport.

The project was led by South East Wales Race Equality Council (SEWREC).

With the help of SEWREC staff and People's Collection Wales, young people spent two years talking to the older generations within the community about their early experiences in the UK and how they found themselves in Newport. These stories were preserved and protected through the collection of stories and oral histories. The young people then used what they'd collected to create an exhibition and produce short films to share what they had learnt with the wider community.

Preservation of heritage was not the only reason for researching the history: it was also a way for the young people to get a better understanding of their own identity. They also learned a  range of transferable skills such as interview techniques, digitisation and project management.

This valuable archive is now being stored for future generations to access at Newport Museum and on the People's Collection Wales website.