Southend Untold

February 22nd saw the final celebration of the Southend Untold project at the YMCA Shop in Southend. The evening was an opportunity to showcase the three films made by the young people who had taken part in the project. With over 100 people in attendance the audience also got an opportunity to view an exhibition of artwork and poetry inspired by the project.

Southend Untold built on the experience garnered by Momentum Arts in its highly successful work in the fields of cultural diversity and social inclusion and regeneration. A group of artists, based in Southend, worked with a team of young people on a project which drew on elements of the Being Here and Untold Stories projects.

Momentum Arts relationships with partners in Southend were already strong having been developed over many years. The Southend Untold project worked in collaboration with Southend YMCA and Southend Borough Council. A group of young people from the YMCA aged 16-19 were identified and worked both with young mentors from Being Here as well as Momentum Arts artist facilitators: two writers and a film maker.

The young people developed skills in storytelling and film making through interviewing and recording the stories of local people, particularly those from different cultural backgrounds. A short pilot project with a first group of young people took place in May 2008 and weekly thereafter over the course of 13 weeks. The young people also received accreditation for their involvement in the project via the Bronze Arts Award.

Initial project funding was provided by Southend Borough Councils PSA Reward grant obtained through the achievements of Being Here 2002 -2006.

Following on from the successful pilot project, Southend Untold went from strength to strength. Artists worked with three cohorts of young people to further explore the fascinating stories of the residents of Cluny Square

The experience was a valuable learning opportunity for both the young film makers and the people they interviewed. The intergenerational aspect of the project meant that the learnings were two-fold: the young people were given the opportunity to learn more about the place they call home and the residents got an opportunity to reflect and communicate their own memories and experiences of Southend.

We would like to thank our partners Southend Borough Council, YMCA and Connexions for their support throughout this project. We would also like to thank our funders, Heritage Lottery Fund for their commitment to innovative projects such as this. Finally we would like to thank the residents of the Kursaal Estate and Cluny Square and the young people who breathed such life and vitality into Southend Untold.