Burmese and Karen Community Reporters
A group of adults from the Burmese and Karen refugee community in Sheffield has attended sessions to learn journalistic and community reporting skills. This has allowed them to share their own experiences of Burma with the wider world.
Learning journalism skills is particularly empowering for the group, as it is widely banned in Burma, meaning information about the country is limited to outsiders. The group has learned ICT skills in editing and audio and visual recording, and members have recorded their experiences of living in exile in the Burmese jungle, living in refugee camps in Thailand, the Burmese military and their move to a new country. Group members who have grasped their newfound skills now mentor newer members of the group, passing on the skills they’ve learned.
By recording their stories, the group members feel they are maintaining their cultural heritage whilst adjusting to life in the UK. The group showcased some of its video and audio files at an exhibition in Sheffield in March 2010. One group member summarised by saying, “This is the first step in letting people in the world know.”
