During July 2008, Jon Robson of Cafesociety.org undertook a speaking and listening project at Sidmouth Primary School - Hull.

The project entitled ‘Fantasy Worlds’ was funded by Creative Partnerships - Hull and tried to answer the enquiry question - “Can new technology be used to improve speaking & listening skills in a year 1 class where over 50% of the pupils have English as a second language ?”

We decided to use digital story telling and film making as a vehicle to improve speaking, listening and written work. We themed the project around 4 areas. - Under the Sea, Castles, Space & Pirates.

The pupils developed their stories orally and created story boards to visualise the scenes, after the stories had been craeted, time was spent developing the characters before designing puppets and background scenery for filming.

Here are the finished films :-

They showed persistence and engagement with the making of the puppets and scenes.

The children very much enjoyed the artwork process… Getting messy and covered in paint is a real thrill..

They also showed imagination when creating their stories and designing their puppets.
The children gained experience in working in teams.

They had to plan and discuss their ideas for their own particular themed story.
Pupils had to work together and be able to listen to each others ideas.

Pirate Day :: We all planned to take over the school and hunt for the treasure. Luckily for us 3 ks4 pupils from endeavour were on work experience at the school and proved themselves invaluable.

The children came prepared with home made costumes to act out their story and take control of the school.

We planned our attack and filmed it as it unfolded.
Some teachers looked on with true fear !

Improvisation was a key element in our unfolding story. We were unsure how the head teacher would react to her school been taken over…. Luckily she obliged and the school became ours !

Because the project encouraged speaking and listening,
The EAL children benefited from this in that they were motivated to communicate their thoughts and ideas.

Fact :: Kids love technology !
being trusted to use high tech equipment was a confidence boost for the year 1’s

They engaged in the whole process of filmmaking from start to finish. It was clear that they had felt that the films were ‘theirs’ and they were proud of them.

The children were enthralled by the whole experience.

They are still talking about their films even now. The project has made a lasting, positive impression upon them.

Some of our work with young people in our home-town of Kingston Upon Hull - UK working in collaboration with the BBC, Creative Partnerships - Hull, British Library, Department for Culture, Media & Sport, Hull City Council and many Hull Schools. We hope you enjoy…

Sierra Leone’s reggae diva Khady Black performs Mr. Government. Filmed on location in Kingston Upon Hull - UK.

Ever wondered what it is like being a teenager living in Hull today? In a new exhibition, pupils from Endeavour High School invite you to experience life from their perspective. “What’s Your Story?” uses films, photographs and personal objects to create an insight into the lives of a diverse group of young people.

The exhibition is part of the “Campaign! Make an Impact” project, an innovative project in which students are inspired by museum collections to create their own campaign about issues which affect their own lives. This project has been led by Hull Museum Education who have also been working in partnership with Cafesociety.org, the British Library and the Thackray Medical Museum.

Hull Museum Education teamed up with creative media practitioners Jon Robson and Matt Stephenson of Cafésociety.org to work with the students on their contemporary campaign inspired by museum collections.

Jane Avison, Senior Education Officer at Hull Museum Education said: “The young people have created the exhibition as part of their campaign against racism and intolerance. First they made short films about their own lives and then came to the museum to investigate the slavery collections and issues around racism. They developed a greater understanding of each other and wanted to run a campaign to promote tolerance between different cultures.”

The aim of the campaign is to break down barriers between communities, dispel some myths and promote understanding of different cultures. Jane continued: “The young people have been very courageous in putting themselves forward as the face of the campaign, giving us an insight into their lives. They would like the viewer to stop and think before making judgements, to consider the person and their story, not just nationality.”

The exhibition will be officially opened by Sir Keith Ajegbo, the Government Advisor for Citizenship. There will also be the opportunity to show case campaigns from the other partners involved in the “Campaign! Make an Impact” project.

The exhibition will be held in the Live Arts Space at the Ferens Art Gallery from Saturday 8th March to Sunday 27th April. It will then be displayed at the Artlink Centre for Community Arts from Thursday 8th May to Monday 2nd June.

The Mayor of Freetown, Winstanley R. Bankole Johnson payed a short visit to Hull on the 29th August 2007. After a civic lunch with the Lord Mayor of Kingston Upon Hull, Cllr Brenda Petch he had a meeting with Jon Robson and Richard Skog of the Freetown Society, during which he signed the petition supporting the Fight For Freedom Campaign.

Mayor Johnson then launched the opening of Greetings! Wilberforce Women, a photographic project between women in Freetown and women in Hull, a Wilberforce 2007 project.

Please click here to listen to the BBC Radio Humberside interview

08:00 - 18 July 2007 - Hull Dail Mail

A Young rapper from Sierra Leone has been inspiring children across Hull to exchange stories about their lives through music.

Nineteen-year-old Lansana Mansaray, known as Barmmy Boy, is in Hull as part of a project to connect schools here and in Hull’s twin townFreetown, the capital of the west African country.

Over two months, he will work with children from St Mary’s College in west Hull, Winifred Holtby in Bransholme and Wilberforce College in east Hull.

He said: “It’s my first time out of Freetown and it’s really different.

“Everything is more organised, and the schools are all provided by the Government.

“It’s strange, but I am enjoying it.”

Among the issues Barmmy Boy raps about are growing up in Freetown, HIV/Aids and the aftermath of the civil war that ravaged the country for a decade.

He was brought to the UK by Hull-based organisation Cafe Society and funded by the British Council and Government arts programme Creative Partnerships.

Cafe Society organiser Jon Robson said: “We met Barmmy Boy when we went to Sierra Leone.

“He had so much energy and creativity, we thought he’d be fantastic with children here and they could really learn from each other. We got him some funding to buy him a laptop so he could start producing music and videos in Freetown and he could learn the skills to pass on to other youngsters there.”

Yesterday, Barmmy Boy took part in a performance at St Mary’s College, Cranbrook Avenue, with teenagers participating in a special week to coincide with Hull’s Wilberforce year.

This year is the bicentenary of the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act, which followed a campaign against slavery led by Hull MP William Wilberforce.

Barmmy Boy said: “It’s been great working with people here.

“They have made up their own lyrics about the issues that affect them, and we’ve been editing videos to accompany them.

“I want to take the skills I’ve learned here back to Sierra Leone.

“Many teenagers in Freetown are disillusioned. They move out of Sierra Leone and never bring the skills they have learned back to their country. I believe there is a lot more to do in Freetown. It doesn’t help the country when the youth leave and never come back.”

Barbara Veloso, 13, of Massey Close, west Hull, who has been working with Barmmy Boy, described the experience as “amazing”.

She said: “I’ve never rapped before, but I have been this week.

“Some of the stories Barmmy Boy told us about through his music are surprising.

“I had no idea many of the soldiers in Sierra Leone during the war were children.”

Andy Rendell, 14, of Malpas Close, in north Hull, said: “I was really shy about singing and it’s been great doing it as a group.

“All of us who took part have discovered hidden talents.”