A Welcome Message from Joy
Welcome to the Voices Project website! We hope that you will enjoy your visit.
The Voices Project is a new and exciting project led by Norwich Mind, in collaboration with BBC Voices. The project is made possible by a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
Within this website you will find information on how you can participate and contribute your story. Forthcoming events will also be posted here to help you earmark your calendar. You surely won’t want to miss any of them. The Voices Project team will be visiting different towns and cities in Norfolk to promote the project and meet Black and Minority Ethnic groups who may be inclined to join the project. If you want us to come over and make a presentation and explain what the Voices Project is all about, drop us a line. I also invite you to express your idea of cultural diversity through an image using your camera, oil, pastel or any other medium. Join the Norfolk Voices Cover Design Contest!
And if you have any query about the project or would like to send us suggestions, feedback or comments, please use the Contact page or the comments button on pages where they can be found.
The Voices Project belongs to every single person in Norfolk. Each one can contribute to its success - either by sharing your story if you’re from a BME community or by taking part in the activities organised by Norwich Mind and BBC Voices. If you have never had an opportunity to tell your story, this is your chance.
We look forward to hearing from you soon!
All the best,
Joy
Voices Project Manager
A Message from Gary
Involvement of BBC Voices
BBC Voices uses the skills and resources of the BBC for the benefit of the community. We are based at The Forum in Norwich where we have film, audio and photo editing software, as well as cameras and recording equipment available to the public. A lot of our work is based around giving people the chance to talk about their lives. Each person’s experience is valuable and can help us all better understnad ourselves and others around. We are really pleased to be involved with Norwich Mind to chart this history of people from Black and Minority Ethnic Communtites who have grown up in, or are now living in Norfolk - and of course through BBC Radio Norfolk and our website bbc.co.uk/norfolk we have the opportunity to share these with a wider audience.
Two years ago we worked with Norwich Mind on a project called Filipino Lives, making a series of digital stories with people from the Philippines who are now based in Norfolk. The stoires not only gave us an insight into another culture, but also showed how how people the world over worry about the same things - getting work, paying the bills, their families. The differences and the similarities between us is what gives a chance to both share with and learn from each other. The Filipino Lives project also highlighted the problems many people face in a new country. Racism, getting proper recognition for qualifications and experience gained elsewhere, and being accepted within their new communities.
We hope this latest Voices project will give us an even deeper insight into people’s lives - and in developing it as an archive, we know we are leaving for future generations a resource about an especially interesting and exciting time in the development of Norfolk.
Gary Standley
Producer
BBC Voices