You Me Mory
'You Me Mory' is a group comprised of people from very different backgrounds, including Scots, European immigrants and refugees from elsewhere in the world. The project is run by Pop Up! Scotland in collaboration with the Key Ring Collective, a group of talented artists from across the creative spectrum. Pop Up! Scotland is a social enterprise based on a simple premise: art is for everyone. Drawing on this premise, we aim to create unique creative events that engage all types of people in Scotland and allow them to explore different ways of being creative.
'You Me Mory' is a great example of what we do. Facilitating a series of eight thematically linked workshops for up to Edinburgh-based people (aged 18-75), the project aims to link newcomers to the Edinburgh community and hels them integrate into the new chapter of their life.
Results
Our main aim with this series of workshops is to introduce the participants both to the public and each other – this will help them become more confident in their new home, make relationships, overcome the frustrations of isolation and loneliness and start feeling at home. We have designed the project with a view to extend these positive impacts to the family or closest community of the participants by inviting them along to the final presentation. We are confident that strong connections will be created between all the attendants, no matter how diverse their backgrounds might be.
Benefits to the Participant
The long-term benefits of the project will mainly be felt by the people themselves: we aim to foster confidence and connections between residents of the city old and new, encouraging individuals to take on an active role in the community and perhaps start their own projects in the future.
Benefits to the Community
These workshops will contribute to stronger networks within the community, with which we hope to fight against the xenophobia that is becoming increasingly visible in our current sociopolitical landscape. The project is designed to promote empathy, integration and communication, which are all in turn vital in strengthening ties within local communities. The stories collected through the workshops will provide inspiration for a new piece of theatre, but can also be thought of as an archive of experiences faced by those arriving 'fresh-off-the-boat face here in Scotland. With consent from the participants, these stories will be made public and free to access through our project website in an attempt to capture the nation in conversation.
The Future
Given our concept is not specific to a certain city or area, we’d love to repeat these sessions anywhere and any time we can. We are also planning to keep in touch with participants through informal quarterly meetings and would aim to create a larger network of people from all over the city connected through You Me Mory. You Me Mory is a project that aims to make a real, long-term impact both on the participants and the community at large.
For more information or if you are interested in hosting this project, please get in touch via the form below.
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