£49,400 to explore teenage life in Northern town

AN Oldham organisation has been awarded nearly £50,000 to explore a teenage-eye view of the borough going back decades.

The Heritage Lottery Fund has given arts charity Peshkar, based in Greaves Street, £49,400 to launch “Where are you from — our teenage years?”.

The project will run in Oldham and Burnley until December, 2015.

It will focus on teenage experiences within white British and South Asian communities and involve a whole range of generations from today’s youngsters to the elderly. The oldest participant is 100.

It aims to form a fascinating understanding of life as a teenager down the ages in different communities, different towns and different countries, looking at how these experiences have woven together to create the present day Oldham and Burnley that now provides the backdrop for current teenage experiences.

Supported by Great Places Housing and led by local community volunteers, experiences will be collected in the form of oral history, film, photography and historical artefacts to reveal the stories of those who lived in the two mill towns.

It will also explore heritage, the impact of cultural changes on the social make-up of Oldham and Burnley and migration from countries such as Pakistan, Bangladesh and India.

Director of Peshkar, Jim Johnson, said: “We are thrilled to have received the support of the Heritage Lottery Fund.

“We are confident the project will support people of all ages and experiences to be active citizens with pride in their Oldham and Burnley communities.

“’Where are you from?’, interestingly, will also explore the legacy that the current teenage generation are leaving behind for future generations.”

It is also hoped future teenage generations will help curate and exhibit the project for years to come to keep the initiative alive.

Shoab Akhtar, communities manager at Great Places Housing Group, said: “We’re thrilled to be part of this exciting project.

Celebrate

“Great Places’ Great Communities team is committed to setting up new initiatives to meet the needs of black and ethnic minority communities in our neighbourhoods. This project will bring together young and old to celebrate their heritage in such a diverse area.”

Head of the Heritage Lottery North-West, Sara Hilton, said: “This project will not only capture vital memories from a fascinating range of periods and places, but will equip young people with skills and enable different generations to understand each other better.”