BS10 Futures took place on Friday the 4th of March 2011 at New Kingsland United Reformed Church. The event was a handover celebration of all the great work that has been done for the past year on the BS10 Big it Up! project. It marked the turning point when residents who have been involved in BS10 Big it Up! take hold of their project's successes, learnings and experiences, and sustain and share them for a brighter and better BS10 Future.
The evening began with an introduction by BS10 Communicator Marianna Pafiti-Georgiou and congratulatory speeches from Councillor Claire Campion Smith, Deputy Head Teacher Richard Berry, and Campaign Leader Claire Cook. 13 year old Natalie Champion then talked about her experience of volunteering as a BS10 Communicator for the past year. Natalie said: "This project has given me insight into what it’s like to be working with professionals in the real world, in this case, as a volunteer." The speeches were followed by the unveiling of 'Our BS10 Pledges' mosaic artwork. The mosaic is a compilation of 24 pledges written by young people to make Henbury and Brentry a better place. With the help of Bristol mosaic artist David Bowers, 35 young people from Henbury School helped make the one metre by two metres mosaic one tile at a time! The Co-operative on Crow Lane has kindly offered one of its external walls for installing and publicly displaying the mosaic permanently. After unveiling the mosaic, BS10 Communicator Talen Kennedy announced the winner of 'My BS10 Pledges' prize draw. Out of over 100 people who have made pledges for improving Henbury & Brentry, young person Nathan Curry won a family day out worth £50. The prize draw was followed by Project Manager Sue Tunstall and Project Coordinators Hannah Padget, Lisa Baily and Chloe Stirk handing out awards to the young people who volunteered on their projects.
The second part of the evening featured 10-minute sessions for each of BS10 Big it Up!'s 16 projects. The sessions were delivered by participants from each project and ranged from presentations and slideshows to skits and pod- casts! The sessions told success stories about BS10 projects, shared ideas for continuing the work in the future, and networked for the support needed to make these ideas happen. To give a few examples, 15 year old Talen Kennedy is developing the BS10 Youth website which acts as a pledging platform as well as a portal for upcoming events and activities in Henbury & Brentry, a chat room for advice and support and a radio station. The website is currently un- der construction and is available on www.mybs10pledge.co.uk. Another example is 'Volunteering Across the Ages', which plans to continue activities and excursions matching young people and older people to bridge the gap between the two generations and allow for an exchange of knowledge and learnings. A third example is the Talent Show which was a memorable success, and everyone who attended agreed that they would like to see it happen every year. The evening ended with a word from Councillor Mark Weston.
All BS10 Big it Up! projects have left great legacies, empowered participants with skills and knowledge for the future, and built relationships and social networks strong enough to transform good ideas into feasible projects. If you would like to join the network and get involved visit the BS10 Big it Up! Facebook Page on www.bs10bigitup.co.uk.
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