COTW (Children of the Wind)

"Children of the Wind" is a research project, which aims to look at families straddling cultures and the loss of "HOME" phenomenon. This is a phenomenon, which affects not only corporate and celebrity repatriation and expatriates in today’s global economy, but also and more significantly people making transitions across cultures for specifically economic reasons. "Children of the Wind" aims to consolidate research, interview and personal histories in order to rationalise the hopes, dreams and aspirations that migrants brought, transforming their deep desire and leap of faith into a motivating force for future generations.

The key elements of this project are to work with the second and third generation children of the Windrush era within the multicultural communities of Manchester. This project aims to do this through a process of dialogue and analysis with a variety of partners. More about this is in the CASSCO part, which is the business-part of the company.

COTW aims to consolidate research, interview and personal histories in order to rationalise the hopes, dreams and aspirations that migrants brought, transforming their deep desire and leap of faith into a motivating force for future generations.

It hopes to answer the question, 'where is "home"?' Addressing not only the individuals in the family unit and their internal struggle to identify their cultural roots; but the inevitable impact on society regarding what the host culture seeks to impose and the immigrant family strives to maintain.

Formal assessment at any key stage shows a clear lack of achievement for many Black and Asian young people. Such assessments often lead to a dampening of aspiration and a reduction in teacher expectation of performance on the part of pupils. Distress and disappointment, sometimes disinterest may result within the family. Annually, the publication of both GCSE and A Level results show that there is a marked underachievement within the African/Caribbean examination results. One of the aims of this project is to address this issue and to analyse, understand and then offer possible solutions to this human dilemma. Why are academic results so disproportionate?

In addition, educational exclusion also shows a marked increase within the African/Caribbean school population. This also is an important avenue of research for the study. By producing appropriate working materials, by particular pupil involvement, by counselling and mentoring, by goal setting, by working with parents, teachers and employers, the project aims to make a significant impact and be able to raise educational attainment and aspiration.

Visits, interviews, oral histories and mobile displays will also be compiled for use within community centres and libraries, as well as in Manchester schools. The aim is to raise awareness in as many different areas and in as many different ways as possible. The community will have every opportunity to celebrate its multi-cultural heritage.