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Dear Joe and the MO list,
A belated congratulations on your success in getting funding from the HLF 
for a 'Worktown' inspired project. How interesting that the HLF is keen on 
history but less keen on the here and now!!!! I wonder if "history" is seen 
as politically safer and more neutral because it is safely in the past?

However, I am sure that your young volunteers will almost inevitably record 
as much  about life in Dorchester in 2013  as they will about the last 
40-60 years, especially if they are encouraged to document their own 
processes and subjective experiences as they go.  A criticism of the 
original MO team in Bolton was that they left so little evidence behind in 
terms of how they operated, how they made decisions, who did what and why 
and so on.

I visit Dorset quite often so maybe next year I might be able to take 
advantage of your "walking museum".

Warmest best wishes,
Dorothy

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Prof Dorothy Sheridan MBE
Trustee, Mass Observation Archive, University of Sussex
Trustee, National Life Stories, British Library




--On 10 December 2012 14:48 +0000 Joe Stevens <[log in to unmask]> 
wrote:

> This message has been sent through the MASSOBS discussion list. Remember,
> clicking 'reply' sends your message to the list.
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------
> Hi, I wanted to share this little bit of good news in that a Mass
> Observation inspired project has received funding from HLF. Though it
> isn't 100% a Mass Observation inspired project, it has still been heavily
> influenced by the WorkTown project.
>
>
> We had been working on creating a new project that would investigate the
> working methods of the original Mass Observation Worktown and use their
> creative surveying methods. The original idea was to have two schools,
> one in an urban area and one in a rural location, compare their research
> from surveying their town. Unfortunately we had trouble securing funding
> to survey contemporary life, but from this initial project building
> (working with our community partners and feedback from the Heritage
> Lottery Fund) we have now successfully secured HLF funding to allow a
> group of volunteer investigators in Dorchester examine how the
> leisure-time activities of young people have changed over the last 40 to
> 60 years.
>
>
> The project's starting point is the idea of learning about history in
> your area by surveying and recording its contemporary context.
> Encouraging active citizenship in young people by exploring ideas of
> observation and study of their own locality. This will provide an
> engaging and meaningful framework for young people's learning about
> heritage.
>
>
> Working with Dorset County Museum and the Dorset History Centre, as well
> as local schools and organisations for older people, including Thomas
> Hardye School, AgeUK Dorchester and Dorset POPP the project will enable
> young people to collaborate and share with the older population in a
> range of activities leading up to a final exhibition, a website and the
> production of a mobile phone app. Volunteers will be given the
> opportunity to gain skills in oral history recording and will also learn
> about archive creation and curation.
>
>
> Through the mobile phone app digital:works aim to create a  "walking
> museum" around Dorchester, engaging a wider section of the population
> with the local history of specific sites.
>
>
>
>
> Regards
> Joe Stevens
>
>
>
> digital:works offers a wealth of experience in participation work using
> creative media
> digital:works undertakes newsletter/publications, video, websites,
> photography & digital art, animation, and audio.
>
> contact | [log in to unmask] | @digitalw0rks | 07784 874112 |
> digital-works.co.uk
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