WISERD Research Associate, Dr Kate Moles, successfully secured funding to run a digital storytelling project with young women living in Cardiff.
Building on the success of the Beacon for Wales funded ‘Sounding the Way’ project in 2011 – where young male residents of Grangetown produced audio walks allowing them to explore their community and express their identities – this project involved the women of Grangetown.
The ‘Living Streets’ project utilised Google Earth technology to enable the participants to layer audio memories, stories and experiences with photographs, and video clips to create a living street walk. Working through Google Earth enabled the walk to ‘live’ beyond the project, as other groups within the community can continue to add their own stories, photos and experiences as the area and the community evolves and changes. The resources created could then be used by different groups who want to explore ideas of place in their community.
The ‘Living Streets’ project allowed the young women to get to know members of their community, to talk with people they might not otherwise talk with and to look at places through new eyes that provide them with a new perspective and understanding of the cultural and social issues that make up that place.
The project was one of seven successful applications awarded up to £500 as part of Cardiff University’s Community Engagement Team (CET) Small Grants Scheme. The CET aims to support and develop public engagement activities, and the final reports from all seven projects will be used as case studies to promote best practice in engaging the public with academic work.
