British Library works with sixth form college on new project

Elliott Hudson College is excited to announce a partnership with the British Library to create a new visitor centre at the Temple Works site in Holbeck, South Leeds. The library is working on a range of projects to engage local communities and saw an opportunity to work with young people at EHC. The initial programme will run from January 2023 to March 2024, with the hope of securing further funding to continue the partnership.

Temple Works is a Grade I listed building, a former flax mill, which is part of the regeneration of Leeds South Bank. The library is involved in a range of projects to engage with people in the local area and were keen to listen to the ideas and preferences of our students.

The British Library successfully applied for the National Lottery Heritage Fund to fund the co-creation project in July 2022, with the aim of setting up a group of young people to co-create some of their public programming leading up to the opening of the new centre.

Interviews for a Co-creation Manager took place in college in November 2022 with input from EHC students. Jodie Russi-Red was successful in gaining the position and delivered an inspirational assembly to year 12 students in January 2023. 36 students signed up and 14 students started meeting every week during enrichment time following February half term. The initial programme will run from January 2023 to March 2024 with the hope of securing further funding to continue the partnership after this.

On March 22nd, Jodie Russi-Red and the 14 EHC students had the opportunity to visit the Leeds Museum to view the “Overlooked” exhibition. This exhibition was a co-creation project that focused on the experiences of minority groups in Leeds, particularly those whose stories are often overlooked or underrepresented in mainstream narratives.

During the visit, the group had the chance to learn about the creative process involved in developing a co-creation project. They were also able to explore the various displays, which included oral histories, photographs, and other artifacts that shed light on the lives and experiences of different minority groups in Leeds.

Jodie Russi-Red said:

“It was ace to meet staff at Leeds Museum and for our British Library co-creation group to get a sense of the kind of exhibition they could create themselves this year. The group has had some amazing ideas about exploring heritage and youth culture in South Leeds so far, and me and the rest of the British Library team are all really excited to see what the end result will be.”

One of the students involved in the project, Sam Ashik added:

“The program has helped me diversify my friendship group and find topics to direct my passion towards. I loved visiting the museum to see the way the other co-creation group strived to be inclusive of all needs.”

Elliott Hudson College is excited to be part of this partnership with the British Library, and looks forward to working together on this project to benefit the local community and preserve the heritage of the Temple Works site.