‘Raising Voices’ Exhibition

‘Raising Voices’ Exhibition

It was important to us to share all the different creative things that were made by people taking part in the Raising Voices project. The words, pictures and objects people have created help to show how people feel, and this can affect how people looking and listening to them feel about poverty. We wanted to show these to members of the community and decision-makers, to let the stories inform people and get them thinking. The ‘Raising Voices’ exhibition was open on Thursday 24th and Friday 25th March at Staffordshire University in the new Catalyst Building in Shelton. 70 people came to the Exhibition over the two days. The launch night on the 24th of March was a celebration of what has been achieved with the project. It was also a chance to talk about hardship and poverty in Stoke-on-Trent.

Members of the Raising Voices steering group, the Hardship Commission for Stoke-on-Trent, and the local community sat together in groups around tables to talk about the project. Raising Voices steering group poets Jennifer Spice and Tracy Knight read poems including ‘What is Poverty?’ to open the launch night. We had talks from Hardship Commission Chair, Steve Wyn Williams and Associate Professor for Community Engagement at Staffordshire University, Nicola Gratton. Expert Citizens Network Coordinator, Phil Parkes, shared his personal journey and experience of poverty and hardship in a very emotional speech. People who had run and taken part in the project’s creative activities and had helped set up the exhibition, invited visitors into the exhibition area. They talked about the project, the activities and answered people’s questions. The event ended with the Steve Wyn Williams signing the Manifesto, on behalf of the Hardship Commission for Stoke-onTrent, and Monienne Stone, signing on behalf of the Raising Voices steering group. On Friday 25th of March the exhibition was open for anyone to drop in and see the display.