Big Lottery Family Learning at Akademi
September 2009-August 2012

Akademi South Asian Dance UK is thrilled to be a part of the Big Lottery’s Family Learning Programme. The inter- generational project ‘Who We Are’ offers opportunities for parents and children to take part in dance and music activities, exploring together the experience of migration to London through dance and music.

We welcome and encourage families from Brent and Barnet to join in with the project ‘Who We Are’ which will happen in local community spaces and arts venues at weekends, after school and in the holidays.

‘Who We Are’ offers to experience of working with inspiring and creative artists, using dance music and media to explore ideas of being British for people with different heritages. Christina Christou, Akademi’s Education and Community Consultant, said, “We are delighted that we can now develop a structure that gives time and space for families to develop creative ideas together whilst learning and taking part in dance and having fun. We are especially pleased that the Big Lottery Fund is supporting the involvement of a Learning Advisor to develop participants’ appetite for further learning and to give them support on the programme.”

Project Description

Akademi will offer learning sessions that gives time and space for families to develop creative ideas together whilst learning and having fun.

The Big Lottery Fund is supporting the involvement of a Learning Support Advisor to develop participants’ appetite for further learning and to give them support on the programme.

A part –time project co-ordinator and a part-time Learning Support Advisor will join Akademi’s Education and Community team to run the three-year programme.

Each project will result in a public production to family, friends, peers and the wider community to demonstrate the family’s skills and their enjoyment of family learning.

Who is the project aimed at?

We will be inviting 240 families in Brent and Barnet from schools, community and voluntary groups. The workshops will explore the heritage of the different communities participating through participatory workshops and performances determined jointly by parents and children.

Each project will run for four hours per week over twenty weeks, after school and at week-ends. Supported by a Learning Advisor and sessional artists, the parents and children will work in small groups to determine, define, develop and implement projects they have chosen for themselves.

Project topics may include:

Explorations of the experience of migration to London through dance and music

Using dance and media/music to explore ideas of being British for people with different heritages

Films from Bollywood and the dances and songs we grew up with

Creating artwork with our children; getting our parents more involved in what we do at school

Finding out what our parents and grandparents’ lives were like

Learning Support

A Learning Advisor will work with families to identify the skills needed to develop learning. They will support people to decide what and how they would like to learn. Some people may wish to develop project management skills during the programme. In addition the Learning Advisor will offer support strategies for embedding literacy or numeracy skills.

The Approach:

We would like to work with schools, community, voluntary, statutory bodies and learning organisations to make the project happen. We will also work with arts organisations and festivals.

Artists will link the project content to the school curriculum wherever possible, inviting teachers to observe the parents and families manage their own learning environment. We hope the families will give fun presentations on their projects to other school pupils and teachers.