What do all these things have in common?
Earlier this month, 15 enthusiastic young people from Prendergast-ladywells College participated in a once-in-a-lifetime experience to creatively engage with the Tower of London. As part of the 2012 UNESCO World Heritage Youth summit which will be held at the Maritime Museum in Greenwich – young people were asked to respond to this question;
“Who are we and what does our World Heritage Site mean to us?”
This was attempted by learning about world heritage, hearing some stories of the Tower and through a humourous encounter with our chief Yeoman Warder. Partnering with award winning Chocolate films, students learnt about cut-away shots, animation and how to boldly interview the general public.
Being immersed in a historic site once again proved to have a significant impact on those who visit. Taylan Toros, a 14 year old participant from Prendergast, said;
I used to come to the Tower Bridge a lot. I used to pass it [Tower of London] thinking it was just some old castle, but when I actually came here and found out what it was, I felt more interested.
It was an intense week of hard work for all involved. The three fantastic films that the students made in response to this question can be seen on our website soon. And yes, chocolate was eaten at the end!
These young people are now our future champions for World Heritage, and five of them will represent the Tower of London at the 2012 Youth Summit conference in Greenwich in June.
