Festival of Communities 2018 Review

Festival of Communities 2018 Living and Learning Together in Tower Hamlets

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f o l a Festiv s e i t i n u m m o C

2018 y a M 3 1 y a d - Sun Saturday 12

The annual Festival of Communities brings local communities together to explore living and learning in Tower Hamlets.

It is a collaboration between Queen Mary University of London and over 30 local partner organisations to showcase the best of health, medical, science, engineering, humanities and social science research, as well as projects from Queen Mary and local organisations and services.

The activities at the Festival are designed for local families to learn something new or try something different, and to provide an opportunity to meet and interact with people they haven’t met before.

These varied activities range from hands-on experiments, sharing stories and views, watching demonstrations and getting involved in creative projects.

Over 3500 local residents took part over the weekend.

Our audience was mostly families with children under the age of 10, who live locally to Queen Mary campuses in east London.

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73 different activities: 28 delivered by community organisations 45 by Queen Mary staff and students

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10,000 p visited eople have the Commu Festival of nitie started s since it in 2016 .

Of those delivered by Queen Mary staff and students: 2 were delivered by student organisations 8 from colleagues in Professional Services 9 from Humanities and Social Sciences 13 from Science and Engineering 18 from Medicine and Dentistry

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What d e n e p hap ay 2018 M 2 1 y a rd tu Sa n Park Stepney Gree

The Festival launches on Saturday in Stepney Green Park in the heart of Tower Hamlets.

Visitors could take part in a minibeast safari to uncover the creepy crawlies in Stepney Green Park, make a volcano erupt, get hands on with real fossils and even test their football skills.

There were many ways for local residents of all ages to get involved in the free interactive activities.

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Live artwork by Jenny Leonard www.jennyleonardart.com

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What d e n e p hap ay 2018 Sunday 13 M End Campus e il M ry a M n Quee

We hold the second day of the Festival on Queen Mary’s Mile End campus. As the campus is often perceived by local residents to be only for students and staff, the second day is held on campus to provide visitors with a chance to explore the space Activities included meeting the Queen Mary colony of naked mole rats and marvelling at the images of nature all around us in the Life Sciences Initiative photo competition.

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Live artwork by Jenny Leonard www.jennyleonardart.com

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f o l a v i t s e F e h t s Why i ? t n a t r o p m i s e i t i n u m m o C For local residents The Festival of Communities provides an opportunity for residents to meet each other and interact with new people, organisations and ideas in familiar and new environments.

Feedback from attendees identified that the Festival is a unique event for bringing communities together, making new friends and connecting with research and local organisations which they may not have discovered before.

The artwork on the previous pages features quotes from families who attended over the weekend, showcasing their highlights and reflections from the event.

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For community organisations The Festival of Communities provides an opportunity for local organisations and projects across Tower Hamlets to come together to showcase opportunities for residents to be more involved and active in their communities.

Organisations achieved this by: •H olding listening exercises to gather views and opinions from residents to shape future work •O rganising information stalls featuring information and services •S howcasing their services in interactive ways such as musical performances, demonstrations and hands-on activities

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l a v i t s e F e h t s i y Wh s e i t i n u of Comm ? t n a t r o p im The third piece of artwork created from the Festival showcases the thoughts and experiences of Queen Mary staff and students who designed activities and engaged with local residents over the Festival weekend.

This piece explores benefits of, and motivations for, engaging with local communities and the variety of ways this engagement has enhanced and developed their skills, experiences, and opportunities for the future.

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Live artwork by Jenny Leonard www.jennyleonardart.com

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Thank you to our Festival planning Group: Do Little London Citizens Salvation Army Social Action for Health Stifford Centre Tower Hamlets Council

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