Mirpur is one of Birmingham’s partner cities therefore we are excited to promote a project that focuses on the experiences of those who have firsthand accounts of the amazing life changing journey from Mirpur (and surrounding areas), in Azad Kashmir to Birmingham, England.

Led by enthusiastic volunteers from the diverse Birmingham community, the project aims to enable young people to work with professionals and first , second generation elders to explore the history surrounding the journey and find out in detail the firsthand accounts of those who were fortunate to experience the transformation from being a ‘Mirpuri’ to a ‘Brummie’. This journey will educate all and give a greater understanding about the hardships and struggles endured and the families who departed from their homeland to make the journey in the 1960’s, and the subsequent community which continues to grow in their achievements and contributions within and beyond 2013.

Through this project, we hope there will be a greater understanding of different generational experiences  and create new and build on existing links between the younger and elder generations within the community, providing for a better platform for engagement.

The project will give participants a deeper understanding of the experiences of past generations on the journey and subsequent settlement of the people from Mirpur within Birmingham. The project will equip the participants with valuable skills and experiences such as oral history, filming, cataloguing and archiving skills, whilst exposing them to a past never documented before. The journey will be captured and then exhibited to educate young people born in Birmingham but have parents from Mirpur and people from other backgrounds and all walks of life.

The project will form an on-line archive, an exhibition and findings will be archived at the New Library of Birmingham.

Foe more information visit: http://mirpurtobirmingham.org/