GRAPHIC novels, food from different cultures and a little puppet called Luna have helped a Glasgow school deliver a ground-breaking project.
Home is Here, supported by the Scottish Library Fund, is a thoughtful initiative by Oakgrove Primary helping to strengthen community links in Woodside.
Headteacher Jane Cerexhe explained: “We’re a multi-cultural city centre school and we regularly welcome families who have recently moved to Glasgow.
“We wanted to promote inclusion and a sense of belonging and diversity through telling, reading recording, sharing and celebrating migration stories.
“It was our aim to explore of themes of displacement, resettlement and what home means.”
She added: “The simple fact is that ‘we’re aw fae somewhere’ and all families have a migration story, whether it’s as local as a move within Glasgow or as global as a story of international migration.
“We wanted our work to demonstrate how our community is enhanced through migration and how all our cultures strengthen our society.”
The project included staff training by Wosdec, to help unpick the vocabulary used around migration.
Pupils in primaries one to three created a musical story, Luna and the Travelling Suitcase, about a blue and pink puppet who comes from the moon, with music created and adapted by former Royal Conservatoire of Scotland lecturer (and proud Oakgrove granny) Mary Troup.
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Other projects included drama, artwork, a writers’ group and a residency by Metaphrog (awardwinning Glasgow comic creators Sandra Marrs and John Chalmers) who supported primary seven pupils in creating their own graphic novels.
Artists and former refugees from Maryhill Integration Network helped primary six pupils to create their own stories and characters and in class, newly-arrived families shared their first impressions of Glasgow, and the stories of their journeys to get to the city.
Children created their own ‘home in a box’ to broaden understanding of what people need to settle and belong.
“The enthusiasm for this grew and became a whole school project until we had created a box city, which is amazing,” added Jane.
“We also invited families to bring their favourite dishes from home as a final celebratory event - the range of international dishes and the enthusiasm with which families shared their food culture was very affirming.”
The project helped Oakgrove pupils and staff to “grapple with complex, real world issues such as racism, displacement and migration,” added Jane.
“Underpinning our approach was a passion and belief that we can build inclusive communities by listening and connecting with each other’s stories.”
Councillor Christina Cannon, Glasgow’s education convener, said: “This project is such a wonderful celebration of diversity and inclusion. Our children and young people have been learning that all families have a migration story, whether it be local or international.
“The brilliant work by Oakgrove Primary promotes the importance and benefits of sharing our experiences to learn from one another and to strengthen integration, building more inclusive communities.”
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