Call for participants
Young Black women aged 18-30 invited to join an exciting new hybrid programme for budding archivists and curators.
Booker Prize winning author and literary activist Professor Bernardine Evaristo explains why she supports the initiative
“Women Speak Volumes Between Generations is a fantastic initiative highlighting the living legacy of older Black women artists and creatives, whose narratives continue to be underrepresented in the archives. There is a wealth of talent out there among the next generation of young Black women storytellers, archivists and curators, but there are still systemic obstacles to career progression that need to be overcome. This project is an important and creative intervention to redress the balance while celebrating Black women whose entrepreneurial work deserves attention.”
About Women Speak Volumes Between Generations
Women Speak Volumes Between Generations is a new hybrid project that aims to amplify the neglected contributions of pioneering older Black women creatives and inspire the next generation to develop their own community archives.
Despite comprising 50% of the population, women only occupy around 0.5% of recorded history. And when it comes to Black British women, it’s significantly less.
To alter this inequality, we have up to 10 places for young Black women (aged 18-30) to be part of the new Women Speak Volumes Between Generations skills programme. Participants will gain experience in the arts, publishing, heritage, digitising archives, curation, event management, interviewing and filming.
Women Speak Volumes Between Generations is a Speaking Volumes initiative, in partnership with Words of Colour and the George Padmore Institute and supported by Coastal Carolina University and 198 Contemporary Arts and Learning. The project is funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
What can I expect from the programme?
Women Speak Volumes Between Generations is a flexible programme, spread out over eight months, from January 2025, where participants will have the chance to:
1. Attend eight, two-hour archive workshops on topics such as storytelling, capturing oral histories, digital archiving, managing images, copyright and licensing.
2. Attend four, two-hour skills-based workshops on filming and recording events, film editing and captioning, digital storage and copy-editing and proofing books.
3. Try out their new skills at live events centring pioneering older Black women artists and midcareer Black women creative entrepreneurs.
4. Interview one or more older Black women of their choice in their community, which will be published on the Speaking Volumes website, with credit.
5. Receive industry mentoring from the award-winning Words of Colour.
6. Be awarded a Certificate of Achievement.
Travel and subsistence expenses
All participants will receive travel expenses and subsistence coverage (i.e. lunch) for every workshop and public event attended.
All work produced by participants during the programme will be credited to them and can be used on any platform.
How to apply and timeline
Please send your CV and a cover letter (no more than two pages of A4) explaining:
• Why you are interested in archives, curation and heritage, especially regarding Black women’s hidden contributions.
• What you hope to gain and learn from being part of the programme.
• How you plan to use the knowledge and skills you gain in the future.
• What hidden stories from your community that you’d like to tell and share.
• How you culturally and ethnically self-define.
Application submission
Email your application to info@wordsofcolour.co.uk using the subject header ‘WSVBG’
Deadline: by 23.59pm on Monday 9th December 2024
Access: If you need any reasonable adjustments made to attend the Information Sessions, apply and / or participate in the programme, please email Joy Francis at: info@wordsofcolour.co.uk.
Eligibility
Women Speak Volumes Between Generations is for England-based young women, aged 18-30, from African, Caribbean and African and Caribbean mixed heritage backgrounds.
This programme encourages applications from those who wouldn’t normally consider applying for skills development programmes in the heritage, arts and culture sectors.
If you have any queries, please email info@wordsofcolour.co.uk.
Programme timeline
17th January to 9th February 2025
4x 2-hour archive and curation workshops, including storytelling and capturing oral histories.
February to September 2025
4x 2-hour skills building workshops, including filming and recording events, copy-editing and proofing books.
February to May 2025
Practice-based opportunities at public events featuring pioneering Black women artists and creatives.
May to September 2025
4x 2-hour archive and curation workshops, including copyright and licensing, managing images and photographs.
Autumn 2025
Practice-based opportunities, including a one off event with mid-career Black women creative entrepreneurs and how to publish a book.
Why has Women Speak Volumes Between Generations been launched?
Despite making up 50% of the population, women only occupy around 0.5% of recorded history.1 Although some books are starting to tell these stories, such as the American history of The Black Angels: The Untold Story of the Nurses Who Helped Cure Tuberculosis (2023), the proportion of that 0.5% representing Black women in the UK is miniscule.
As for inspiring the next generation, the 2022 report “It’s about handing over power”: The Impact of ethnic diversity initiatives on curatorial roles in the UK arts and heritage sector 1998-20212 noted that museums need to encourage school-age children to see their organisations as good places to work. It also recommended greater collaboration with the higher education sector to create stronger pipelines and training schemes.
References
1 English Heritage. ‘Why were women written out of history? An interview with Bettany Hughes’, 29 Feb. 2016. https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/inspire-me/blog/blog-posts/why-werewomen-written-out-of-history-an-interview-with-bettany-hughes/
2 Art Fund, Museum X and Culture&. “It’s about handing over power”: The Impact of ethnic diversity initiatives on curatorial roles in the UK arts and heritage sector 1998-2021. 2022. https://bibli.artfund.org/m/53e933cf196387c3/original/Art-Fund-Curatorial-Diversity-report.pdf
This is a Speaking Volumes initiative in partnership with Words of Colour and the George Padmore Institute. Funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund.
The GPI is an independent charity (1003001), it is not associated with any other organisation. We rely on grants and individual donations to continue to preserve and make available the stories of many black and Asian communities. See details below for ways to make a donation.
PayPal
Pay via PayPal to the account info@georgepadmoreinstitute.org
Bank transfer
CAF Bank Account:
Sort Code: 40 52 40
Account No: 00035060
Email info@georgepadmoreinstitute.org to confirm bank transfer.
Cheques
Make out a cheque to George Padmore Institute and post to: 76 Stroud Green Road, London N4 3EN.
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