Migrant workers in Cornwall
We’re just starting work again with migrant workers and local communities in Cornwall, alongside Inclusion Cornwall at Cornwall Council and the Diocese of Truro’s social responsibility officer Andrew Yates.
Our project is called I Packed This Myself.
Every year, thousands of workers from overseas come to Cornwall to work on the land. These workers can face hostility and resentment. In rural Cornwall, due to expensive local housing, agricultural workers often live in caravans. They can have little contact with local people who lack the opportunity to meet them.
I Packed This Myself aims to change that. Ten years ago, we created a touring exhibition of suitcases – and ran workshops in schools. Click here to read an evaluation.
Over the next two years we’ll be rolling out more workshops and hopefully creating a new exhibition.The lack of understanding (on both sides) in rural communities still exists.
To view a web gallery featured in the Guardian in 2009 of a show in Camborne, Cornwall, click here. The project was showcased by the then Commission for Rural Communities as a national example of good practice – its original title was Let’s Talk. Various funders – including the Migration Impacts Fund through Communities and Local Government – have supported this work.
In the meantime, if you missed all the things we did at the start of this project, here are just a few highlights:
An exhibition at Penair School with a film made by migrant workers
Ten workshops in a day at Torpoint School
Our original resources included a pack for teachers: I PACKED THIS MYSELF EDUCATION PACK. To read our original Guide for Group Leaders, click here.
