Making The Future is a cross-border cultural program funded by €1.82M from the EU PEACE IV program to empower people from different communities in Northern Ireland to explore museum collections and archives. The program involves four partner organizations and over 200 participants so far exploring themes through digital storytelling like gender, migration, music and arts. One program called "Every Day is a School Day" involved 10 blind participants working with the Royal National Institute of Blind People to create short films about their experiences with education in Northern Ireland and making archives more accessible. The goal is to break down barriers and fill gaps to create an inclusive archive through 100 shared stories reflecting on the past, present and future of Northern Ireland.

1. Partners Funded by:

2. www.makingthefuture.eu
PRONI

3. www.makingthefuture.eu
Making The Future
EVERYONE HAS A VOICE, EVERYONE HAS A STORY, EVERYONE HAS A FUTURE
• Making The Future is a cross-border cultural programme which empowers people to
use museum collections and archives to explore the past and create a powerful vision
for the future.
• Four partners: Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI), Linen Hall Library,
National Museums NI and Nerve Centre.
• Supported by €1.82m of EU funding under the PEACE IV programme, managed by the
Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB).
• Participants from different communities, cultural and religious backgrounds have
multiple opportunities to get involved, to have their voices heard, to tell stories relevant
to their lives, to be creative and gain new skills.

4. www.makingthefuture.eu

5. www.makingthefuture.eu
100 Shared Stories
Aims and Objectives
• Breakdown barriers between
communities and archives.
• Fill gaps and build PRONI into a
participatory and Inclusive Archive
• Create shareable digital stories
reflecting on the past, present and
future of Northern Ireland.
9 Programmes
• 200+ participants so far
• Themes including Gender and
Identity, Migration, Music and
The Arts
• Targeted recruitment to
specific communities –
LGBT+, minority ethnic, rural
and differently-abled.

6. www.makingthefuture.eu
Every Day is a School Day
• Partners: Royal National Institute of
Blind People (RNIB), Connor Scott-
Gardner
• Format: Two zoom sessions a week,
across four weeks
• Participants: 10 participants recruited
via RNIB
• Aims: Gather stories on experiences of
Education in NI as people with sight-
loss + learn how to make PRONI and
archives more accessible
• Outcome: 10 short films, made by
participants

7. www.makingthefuture.eu
Making Archives Accessible
• Audio Description of
Documents
• Workshops on access to
PRONI archives both in the
building and online
Developing Film-Making Skills
• Three sessions with Connor
Scott-Gardner as a peer
with sight-loss working in
the field.
• One-on-one check-in’s with
each participant –
supporting them through
filming and editing
Activities

8. www.makingthefuture.eu
Why Film Making?
• Film and video are an
almost universally
familiar and accepted
digital medium.
• Many ways to make film
and video content
accessible, sharable and
engaging no matter what
the background or
abilities are.
• Allows us to give
participants the
opportunity to share their
own stories, in their own
words and in their own
way

9. www.makingthefuture.eu

10. www.makingthefuture.eu
lynsey.gillespie@communities-ni.gov.uk
@Lynsey_DG
l.aguiar@nervecentre.org
@lauraslaguiar
www.educationstories.org