The Manchester Refugee Support Network (MRSN) Heritage Project aims to record and archive the history of the MRSN in its 20th anniversary year.
MRSN have been given a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund to create an accessible archive containing historic information on how MRSN has grown, including: documents, photographs and recorded interviews with the key people involved in our formation and development. The archive will be deposited in Manchester Central Library and there will be a project exhibition at the Library during Refugee week 2016.
The project will celebrate the work of MRSN and the way refugee communities have come together in Manchester to support one another over the last 20 years.
MRSN are looking for people with some time to help them. You don’t have to be an expert in history as full training and support will be given. What really counts is your enthusiasm and willingness to help and learn.
MRSN are particularly looking for volunteers for the Oral History part of the project.
You would:
• Attend a half-day oral history training workshop that would give you all the skills and knowledge you need to plan and carry out interviews with people who have been involved with MRSN
• Carry out two or three interviews. These usually take about an hour and are informal and often carried out in the interview subjects home or other mutually convenient location
• Develop your confidence and interpersonal skills
• Develop your clerical and computer skills through learning to download, summarise and transcribe the interviews you do
• Receive a certificate of merit acknowledging your contribution to the project
• Get a chance to be involved in other aspects of the project like creating the archive, exhibitions and digital time-line
For further information and to volunteer, contact Bill, on 0161 868 0777, or email: [email protected].