This year, Lydia Illingworth from Wilberforce College and James Mawer, who is at Wolfreton, asked if they could undertake their Year 12 summer work placements in the Wilberforce Institute. Both had to write a reflective piece for their tutors on completion of their placement, selections from which are included below.
Arriving on Monday 15 July, the students found themselves immediately in the capable hands of Sophie Blanchard and Andrew Smith, who had prepared a range of activities for them to engage in. This began with both students working on the Taking the Knee Exhibition as it was moved into the Wilberforce Institute. Lydia began her reflection by talking about the significant work that the Institute has done to address racial tensions through history, something that became especially clear to her through helping to install this exhibition. James, on the other hand was ‘particularly interested in the more ancient side of the taking the knee linking it back to the Ancient Egyptians.’
In looking through the feedback that had been provided about the exhibition, James noted how lovely it was to see all the positivity around the exhibition and how people responded to it, particularly ‘how it helped them to feel represented’. He also found it motivating that many people recognised ‘it is indeed a current issue and not just one of the past’. For Lydia, the feedback provided significant insights into the importance of museums as well as the impact of the exhibition itself.
On Tuesday, Lydia and James were tasked with checking out the Freedom Trail, an online app launched in 2023 by Tanira Bhatti and Gabrielle Phillips, graduate interns at the Institute - the Trail aims to raise awareness and increase public engagement with modern slavery. They also spent some time in the Museums Quarter, with Lydia exploring the interactive elements in the exhibitions that encourage members of the public to engage with local history.
What stood out for James, however, was the visit to Wilberforce House.
Wednesday saw James and Lydia making adjustments to the Adinkra Trail, also established last year by graduate intern Adam Gadie in collaboration with Glynis Neslen, in preparation for its relaunch ahead of this year’s Freedom Festival. This seven-stop children’s trail uses Ghanaian symbols to shine a light on Ghanaian culture while revealing the importance of learning from the past.
On Thursday, James and Lydia were introduced to Dr Nick Evans, well known for his detailed local knowledge, who took them on a tour of the campus. Dr Evans discussed the history of the buildings and highlighted various important figures who reflected the University's positive approach to diversity and inclusivity, including Barbara Canham Turner. For James, this had a very particular resonance.
Similar aspects of the tour stood out in Lydia’s mind. First, she learnt about the history of the campus, and more especially its use as a hospital during the First World War. Second, she noticed that issues of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) took centre stage in the University’s admissions policy. This she said was extremely enlightening to know.
For their last day on Friday, Lydia and James were given an opportunity to receive help in creating a CV and LinkedIn profile.
In concluding her reflection, Lydia noted that working with the Wilberforce Institute had further cemented her love for history and inspired her to pursue a history degree. She had in addition developed a number of skills that she hoped would help her in the future, including organisation, teamwork, public engagement and research.
James said he had learned a lot more about Wilberforce himself and the history of the slave trade but also about the importance of recognising that modern slavery and exploitation is a contemporary issue that far more people need to be aware of and help to combat.
Sophie Blanchard, who organised the activities for the students, and spent the week with them, noted that it was a pleasure to meet, work and bond with both Lydia and James over the course of their placement week. They showed a high level of professionalism and confidence throughout the different activities that were given to them, and were prepared to take the initiative and use their own skills to better the task at hand.