PETERLOO 2019 LEARNING RESOURCES 16

Main outcomes:

 Developed and delivered a package of learning resources that offer young people from across each borough in Greater Manchester and the UK more widely the opportunity to understand the background to the Peterloo Massacre and its consequences for Manchester and the wider world

 Young People involved now have a better understanding of the significance of the Peterloo

Massacre as one of the core milestones on the long road of reform, a story that inspired them to get involved with democracy locally, nationally or internationally, helping them see how they can personally make a difference

 Co-created content, working with and led by young people, supported by leading practitioners alongside emerging creatives and community participants

 Engaged with schools, students, teachers, and an organisation working with young people to both inform and shape the package of resources created

 Engaged with partners with national portfolios to ensure the resources are promoted throughout the UK as well as across Greater Manchester

❝Peterloo is our working-class ancestors fighting for the rights we have now, that’s what it means to me, it means them dying for the rights we have now.

Young Person from RECLAIM Key Learning:

Many of the young people involved in the animation project had not heard about Peterloo before, nor had they created animations or visited the Peoples History Museum. The project was a very positive learning experience for them. It built their confidence, selfesteem and animation abilities, and taught them about their own histories and heritage.

Working alongside local teachers and students really helped to shape the resources. This ensured that they were fit for purpose for both subject and non-subject specialists and flexible enough to be adapted by teachers based upon their own interests and capacity to teach Peterloo to young people.

The project benefited from a long development phase which greatly assisted partnership building, and enabled authentic interaction with young people and teachers. This facilitated the creation of learning resources that are flexible, honest and relatable to the world we live in today.

Knowledge of the Peterloo Massacre was low amongst both adults and young people across Greater Manchester prior to this project. Producing this package of learning resources will act as a legacy for the project to further raise historical awareness of the Peterloo Massacre, beyond the project’s end.

Legacy of project:

 The resources act as a legacy of the project.

They are freely available to all teachers and students across Greater Manchester via the peterloo1819.co.uk website

 Young people from RECLAIM went on to work at

Manchester International Festival with Triple Dot

Makers on a commission completely independent to the project and they continue to visit The

People’s History Museum

PETERLOO AMBASSADORS

In November 2018, Manchester Histories put out an ‘open call’ through our social media channels, BBC radio interviews, press releases, online website and through our network of community partners to recruit 30 Peterloo Ambassadors.

The aim of this initiative was to offer meaningful opportunities for volunteers (‘ambassadors’) to engage with the history and heritage of the Peterloo Massacre and to actively seek ways to support volunteers with personal and professional development through opportunities to learn new skills, participate and shape project delivery.

The programme was delivered over an eight-month period, from January to September 2019, and offered a wide range of skills development, research and creative activity opportunities, plus social events.

Activities included walking and archive tours, diversity and accessibility training, training in Manchester Histories existing suite of heritage toolkits (oral history, evaluation, archive research), event management and first aid training.

The ambassadors also had an opportunity to make direct contributions to content for the wider programme of commemorative activity and archive material, through sessions focused on the Eyewitness Accounts for the Peterloo 2019 website, and the high profile interactive performance piece, ‘From the Crowd’ on 16th August 2019.

where the project took place:

Training programme took place at:

Manchester Metropolitan University Business School

John Rylands Library

Walking tours in Manchester City Centre

Walking tours in Stockport City Centre

Peoples History Museum

Working Class Movement Library

❝I have found volunteering to be a very rewarding experience... I'm very keen to do more thanks to Manchester Histories.