For some reason I’ve found myself agreeing to a three week deadline for a 4000 word article about Come Yew In! for an academic journal [Book 2.0]. They are after “a simple reflection on the process” and have tried not to scare me off by assuring me that lots of erudite argument and complicated referencing is not essential. Just as well, 400 words is hard enough!

There’s a lot to say though. In an effort to get a foothold on what we achieved I have to remember it was a fantastic project. We involved over 700 people directly in community and school activities and forged a show in 6 months from scratch that 3500 people saw and enjoyed for FREE right across the city – (our evaluation report is here if anyone is interested).

It doesn’t solve the where to begin thing though.  Then this week Jeannette, our wonderful research lead from Anglia Ruskin (see https://newroutesoldroots.com ) comes to see me for a catch up and I realise that it may be hard to begin because actually, it hasn’t yet finished.

The legacy of CYI is something we can all be proud of. Our aims and the schools involvement all chimed neatly with the launch of the Norwich Schools of Sanctuary project. It was just another one of those wonderful synergies that seemed to characterise our journey.

Through the incredible work of Jake Brown at Avenues Junior many schools have now jumped on board and are telling their pupils tales to develop tolerance and understanding based on our research.

Through a little extra funding from The Freemen will see schools take part in Norfolk Welcomes Day on April 20th – a day of action and awareness around the issues surrounding refugees and incomers.

Importantly we have jointly with ARU and SoS created free educational resources for Key Stages 1-4 – see the links below to access them.  In a few months we will also be publishing our Songbook as a free download.  All of which means that the spirit of CYI will live on in the work of teachers, children and community groups well into the future.

So maybe those looming 4000 words can start with ‘the simple reflection’ that a good idea, well realised is, in itself, just a beginning …