Protest songs and poems get Barton pupils heard by local decision-makers

(c) Artswork

Year 5 students at Barton Primary School expressed their concerns about issues including racism, human rights and the environment, with a performance of protest poems and campaigning songs to an audience of family members and local decision-makers.

The performance at the Riverside Centre in Newport was the culmination of a 12 week project called ‘No Decisions About Us Without Us’.

Part of Artswork’s Young Cultural Changemakers programme, the children worked with local creatives to learn about youth voice and explore different ways of getting their message across.

Responding to the children’s performance, Councillor Geoff Brodie said:

“It’s a long time since I was at school, and I have spent a lot of time with older people, and I wish now that I had spent more time with young people because we now live in their world on our planet, which I fear for sometimes.

"Some of the messages we heard today in both the poems and the songs are very important – I hope that councillors like me, and MPs across the country will listen to those things that have been said today.”

Peta Rainford, Placemaking Creative Producer at Artswork, said:

“We are very grateful for the councillors and other local decision-makers for coming along to the performance – it is very important that the children know that their voices have been heard.”

As well as writing their poems and songs, the children created protest T-shirts (which they wore for the performance) and campaigning cartoons, both which were exhibited at Quay Arts earlier this year.

Commenting on the impact of the project on the children, Jonathan Butt, year 5 teacher at Barton Primary School said:

“The project has given our children a voice to express themselves and to know that their opinions and thoughts are heard and listened to.

"It has given them the chance to explore the positive ways in which they can share their messages and allowed them to showcase what is important to them.

"It has also been brilliant for us as teachers to see their enthusiasm for the project grow and produce such fantastic outcomes.”

An important part of the Young Cultural Changemakers programme is giving children and young people the opportunity to work with professional creatives like Jess and Adam.

One pupil said:

“It felt amazing and such a privilege to have them come in!”

Local creative Jess Ong reflected on the project, saying:

"It was a joy to work with the students of Barton Primary School. They approached this project and met new challenges of learning to express themselves through different creative mediums and really thinking about issues that mattered to them, with enthusiasm and maturity.

"I think it is so important for young people to find their voice and know that their opinions and views count. It was great to give the Year 5s an opportunity to learn some new skills, playing drums, piano and other instruments, songwriting, and to introduce them to our rich human history of protest, and the different ways we can make our voices heard."