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Postcards from the Past is a series of postcard conversations based on family memories and imaginings about the ‘delicate’ children who, in 1948, travelled from Manchester and Salford to  Switzerland to stay for three months with Swiss families to improve their health. 

Inspired by the postcards that many Swiss hosts sent back to the children’s families in Manchester and Salford, Postcards illustrates how personal stories ripple across the generations in ways that connect us not only to the past but the future.

As a result of seeing the archive film which recorded the children’s return to Manchester, a group of ‘delicate’ children and their relatives are sharing reawakened family stories and memories in the form of postcards, which will be published on the website over the coming months, together with other writing and images that help tell their family stories.

‘Postcards’ is encouraging the ‘delicate’ children who are now in their seventies and eighties to:

tell their stories and celebrate their experiences

record their memories and share them with family members 

It is  also encouraging relatives and younger family members to think about these experiences:

by asking questions

putting themselves in their parents/grandparents/relative’s shoes

talking about how they would feel if similar experiences were to happen to them now.

Talking, listening, connecting: sharing family stories and becoming part of Manchester and Salford’s history

 

‘Coming here every Wednesday morning was good. When I first did it I thought I wasn’t going to like it, but it was good, I wanted to do it’.

Passions of Youth Awards Night: Film Premiere, Celebration and Reception

23rd November 2015 at FC United of Manchester, Broadhurst Park, 310 Lightbowne Road, Moston, Manchester

 

The Film Premiere, Celebration and Reception for the Passions of Youth project took place on the 23^rd November 2015 at FC United, Moston, Manchester.

The event was introduced by Sue Reddish, the project’s Creative Director, who welcomed an audience of nearly 100 guests to the screening of two films made by young footballers from FC United, To Be Continued, and by boxers at Collyhurst and Moston Lads’ Club, A 100 Years and Still Fighting.

Sue explained how the ambitious year-long project had involved the arts team working alongside the young men, their coaches, archivists, youth workers, historians and staff at Manchester Metropolitan University. The aim was to work with groups of young men who shared a leisure passion, be that football, boxing, basketball, music or fishing – and encourage them to reflect on the wider benefits of pursuing these interests.

The Passions project also wanted to explore whether these were similar or different to what other young men from previous generations experienced, so the young men also interviewed older people and researched archives, using history as a tool to understand the present. It was, as she described, a very ambitious project, but one which in many ways surpassed the team’s aspirations.

The young men learned new skills in all aspects of film making and performance – they had to research, devise, write, perform, record their work and communicate their ideas clearly, skills that along with those they learned pursuing their hobby should stand them in good stead in the future.

Sue pointed out that while not everyone can be a champion boxer, professional footballer or film maker, everyone on the project was able to have a go, to develop their confidence, learn new things about themselves and see what the support of others could offer – valuable skills that she hoped they would take into future employment, study or their leisure pursuits.

Sue also explained how the learning had not been just one way. She had found out about basketball strategy, stood ringside at her first pro-boxing match, and been told in no uncertain terms that it was time she watched ‘Rocky’ a film which, until then, had completely passed her by!

Jim Dalziel, the community film-maker, found out more about football – fact and fiction – and now regularly regaled anyone who would listen about the ‘curse of Man City’!

Most importantly, what everyone observed was these young men learning about themselves and what they could achieve when they put their minds to it. Both the Boxers and the Footballers brought their enthusiasm, skills, humour and commitment to the Passions project, to make films they should be proud of.

 

By Jack Johnson

Jack Johnson was the first black heavyweight champion of the world. He was American and he was born in 1878. He had his first professional boxing fight in 1898.

Throughout his career, Johnson began to build a unique fighting style of his own which was not customary to boxing during this time. Though Johnson would typically fight first, he would defensively fight. Johnson’s efforts to win the world heavyweight title were thwarted, as world heavyweight champion James J. Jeffries refused to face him then.

Black boxers could meet white boxers in other competitions but not for the world heavyweight championship. Johnson eventually won the world heavyweight title in 1908.

Jack wants to be a professional boxer and is just about to start a scaffolding course.

By Frank McDonagh

Thursday 26th March the Passions of Youth project came to the Manchester Metropolitan University to come and look at some of the activities the students get up to.

The day started with researching some videos to do with the sports some of the students were into for example football and boxing. This was followed by a tour of ‘The Shed’ to see the equipment students use in the media centre.

They we went to the 3D printing room where they showed the students the possibilities of what they can build – For example, football boots designed to fit the footballers feet perfectly.

Finally the day ended with the blog in workshop which is actually where I wrote this review.

Overall I enjoyed the visit and was interested in the 3D printing as that is something that is probably going to become more common in all sports across the world.

Frank does boxing at Collyhurst and Moston Boxing Club..