Education

The St Pauls Carnival Education Programme is a key component of Carnival 365, which is our aim of spreading the traditions of Carnival all year round. From traditional costume making to Black History Month outreach, assemblies and steel pan drumming lessons, we bring the spirit of Carnival to schools and the community, 365 days a year.

We brought 3 programmes to schools this year:

Condensed Carnival - programme of dance, drumming, costumes and assemblies

Unspoken Conversation - workshops focussing on positive activism, cultural awareness and black history

Exposure - programme focussing on people’s journeys and inspiring the next generation of Bristolians

We are grateful to receive support from the Paul Hamlyn Trust to enable us to continue this work with full funding for the next two years.

Our adapted 2020 Education programme:

370

School Children

9

Schools

70

Workshops

“The assembly was brilliant, and we would love to have the St Pauls Carnival team back to talk to the children again.”

— Elaine Roche: Summerhill Primary School

“I was so inspired by what Jen Reid was saying- it makes me want to stand up, speak out and make a difference too.”

— Student: Montpellier High School

What we do and why we do it

Through assemblies, classes and workshops we bring cultural diversity, equality and history to the school children of Bristol. Through a mix of engaging topics we educate whilst having a lot of Carnival-inspired fun!

Primary School Programme

World Jungle and renowned costume designer Helen Davenport, delivers a mix of costume design and creation, drumming and dancing workshops in primary schools in Bristol. Our 2020 programme used the theme of nature and the colours of the rainbow, which had a synergy to how so many of us had experienced the UK lockdown.

Working with our lead designer Helen, each school has a costume-making session to create costumes choosing colours that best represents them to ensure each school has a unique style and look. Each school has a series of five drumming sessions and five dance workshops culminating in fantastic, filmed performances!

Secondary School Programme

Black History Month Outreach

Inspired by the incredible events here in Bristol during the 2020 Black Lives Matter demonstrations, St Pauls Carnival worked with activist and artist Jen Reid. As part of the Black History Month programming ‘Ketch a Fyah’, we delivered a series of workshops as part of a collaborative arts programme with Colin Moody. The programme was heralded as incredibly relevant and emotive for young people and a huge success.

We’ve had the pleasure to work with….