On Saturday 11 June 2022, the Queen Mary Legal Advice Centre (QMLAC) ran the I am You Crafts Stall at the Queen Mary Festival of Communities. Three of our lovely students, Amelie Anh Barone, Weronika Mazurowska and Bojidara Simeonova assisted Meghan Mizen (QMLAC Projects Coordinator) with the stall. This was the first time the festival has run since 2019, following the pandemic.
The QMLAC participated in day one of the festival, situated in Stepney Green Park. The ‘I am You Crafts Stall’, was inspired by our I am You Project. This project facilitates primary school children learning about the principles and protected characteristics of the Equality Act 2010 and promote diversity and inclusion.
The stall was bursting with arts and crafts; including paints, glitters, stickers, pens, ribbons as well as canvasses and coloured paper for everyone to get creative. Participants concentrates on the themes of identity and community. The QMLAC team engaged in conversations with the children and guardians about what made them special, what communities they belonged to and why it was important to appreciate and value ourselves, our friends and family and our community.
These conversations then inspired the children and their parents to create a piece of artwork that demonstrated their identity and/or their community. The hope was for the children to not only have fun but also learn about the diverse and vibrant culture that they are all apart of. This aimed to break down stereotypes and show that whilst we may all be different, we are all special and all belong to the same community.
One parent said, “It is lovely not only to see the work my daughter has created expressing her identity but to see her interacting and learning with the other children.”
It was a great and sunny day where the QMLAC was able to interact and get to know the local community a little more. There are some photos from the day and some of the amazing work created from the Festival below.