Welcoming The Stranger is a 3 year project funded by The Paul Hamlyn Arts based learning fund. The Laal Collective is working in partnership with Cumbria Development Education Centre and the teachers in the partner schools, to build children’s creativity, empathy, resilience and curiosity and to explore how the creative arts can support the delivery of the school curriculum. The project is introduced by Bear, a life-sized puppet. He arrives at the school, lost and frightened, with no memory.
During the first year of the project, the children are invited to create Bears story through drawing and collaboration. This collaborative story is then published into a book that each child and adult who participated in the project receives a copy of. The children and teaching staff are then invited to creatively respond to the themes from Bears story, using whichever medium they would like.
During year 1 schools chose: shadow puppetry, collage, big drawing, drama, fabric collage, building environments, poetry and puppetry.
The year ended with a celebration in each school and a seminar that brought staff from the schools together.
Year 1 participating schools were: Distington Community School, Seaton Academy, Seaton St.Pauls CofE Junior school, St, Josephs Catholic primary school in Frizington, St, Michaels CofE Primary school in Bothel and Westfield Nursery and Primary school in Workington. Seascale primary school piloted year 2 of the project.
