A Gift to Birmingham- Activity Packs.

A Gift to Birmingham is photographic documentation of migrant communities in Birmingham shot by Vanley Burke and produced by Ikon gallery collaboration with Migrant Voice and University of Birmingham. You can find out more about the project here.

Haseebah with Ikon, collaborated with Dr Reza Gholami from the University of Birmingham to create a set of school packs that centred around the real life stories and people behind the ‘A gift to Birmingham’ project. Made for teachers and students, the key stage 1, 2 and 3 packs aim to openly discuss sensitive issues regarding race, language, culture and religion. Including both critical questions and creative exercises, Haseebah wanted to allow learners to express their own and others’ identities which is a key topic in her own practise.

The activity packs can be downloaded through Ikon’s website here.

Haseebah also facilitated workshops around these schools packs in February and March 2023 at Handsworth Library. The schools were local to Handsworth and the surrounding areas, and was initiated from Ikon to see how students and teachers reacted to the packs, and if they were encouraged to use them in their classes.

Responses from the workshops showed results that students wanted to speak more openly about difficult subjects such as race and identity, and were comfortable enough in expressing those views through the questions in the packs. Different schools and years had varying levels of knowledge on diversity and what that meant to them, depending on what was already taught to them in school, but all seemed to engage in discussion. Students, particularly from secondary school were eager to debate on case studies in the pack with some even being open to speaking about the own barriers they face within their identity and community.