An intergenerational mapping workshop took place on 5th December 2017, where different generations of BAME women shared their stories around community activism. As a part of PatHERways London programme, this session was especially meaningful for those young women who are currently shaping their lives and activist paths.
Community activism and social change has to be continued and older generations need to find creative and real ways of passing the baton so that it actually occrs and is not just wishful thinking!
Through creative workshop, using real London maps and creating their own subjective maps, 15 women of different ages remembered their school experiences, first 'real' jobs and important community events. Using creative and colorful maps that participants made, this session was also a stepping stone in supporting the kind of intergenerational dialogue and spaces that Ubele is aiming to offer.
They also talked about people who inspired them to become change agents and discovered their differing journeys whilist how much they had in common, when sharing stories about how they got into social activism.
Evoking memories from recent periods but especially those from 70's and 80's,'older' participants confirmed how important it is not to forget about those times and events that shaped who they are today. We want to see how new generations can be inspired and empowered by experiences of those who initiated and supported significant changes in difficult times for BAME communities in UK.
PatHERways activities are therefore important for strengthening community connections. As one of the older participants said, 'Through the struggle or challenges that we may have, we are not going to be turn over, we may loose the branch or two but we are solid beneath the ground'.
This workshop was faciltated by Yvonne Field from Ubele Initiative (hyperlink) and Marija Biljan from. Human Rights Youth Organization H.R.Y.O. who is working with Ubele as part of the two year Erasmus+ Pandora Project, which focuses on empowering women in enterprise. Suport was provide by Santa Pedone of Just Space.
