On Sunday 30 June, 190 Cambridgeshire school pupils joined author and poet Michael Rosen on stage at the Cambridge Corn Exchange to perform dance, theatre, poetry, and music and singing, with the pieces devised by the pupils during an education programme focused on refugees and asylum seekers.

Cambridge City Council commissioned Helen Weinstein from HistoryWorks to run the education and arts programme with local pupils, community groups and choirs, working with Michael Rosen as poet in residence for the programme, with the free-to-attend concert for an audience of over 1,000 being the culmination of the young people’s work. In the past year, over 5,000 young people have been involved in school workshops and special assemblies. 

The compositions created reflect on what happens when individuals, families and communities are driven out of their homes because of war or climate catastrophe, persecution or threat of genocide. They also consider the continuing difficulties survivors and refugees face as they try to build new homes and recover from the trauma of their experiences.

Notable performances included “Mournful Hope”, created by Cyrus, at Netherhall School; “When Time Stood Still”, created by drama students at Coleridge Community College; “The Hope Band”, with a composition of their own arrangements for Michael Rosen’s song lyrics such as “What Home Means To Me” and “Today, One Day”; and the moving songs with lyrics by Michael Rosen performed by a choir called “The Hope Singers”, coming together across a wide range of schools especially for the concert.

Michael Rosen, poet in residence, said: “Cambridgeshire composers Bethany Kirby and Andrea Cockerton musically arranged song lyrics, and I am commissioned to write for school singers and community choirs, based on the 2024 Refugee Week theme of ‘Our Home’. The lyrics and music are uplifting, and focus on compassion for those displaced by war or climate change when losing a home, giving hope after disaster.

“Musicians have also scored new works inspired by my poetry which Helen at HistoryWorks has been rehearsing with pupils. One highlight for me was the very talented dance group performing to my poetry, including a piece called “Light in the Darkness”, which I rehearsed at Linton Village College earlier in June. It just took my breath away at the concert because of the beauty of the piano composition and dancers’ choreography of movement to illustrate the poem.

“We have been amazed by the number of young poets who came forward for our prize-winning poetry competition, where we asked primary and secondary students to submit their completed poems in empathy with refugees and on the theme of ‘Our Home’. One student at St Matthew’s Primary School, Isabelle, had a memorable image in her poem “There is Always Hope”, where she wrote of refugees “moving like leaves on the breeze” which she used as a chorus throughout her poem. And of course thanks to Helen at HistoryWorks who has been coordinating this programme and working closely with the schools on the creative content.”

Children performing at the concert asked for donations during the event to fundraise for two Cambridge charities that support refugees and asylum seekers – with an estimated £3,000 raised so far. Both charities spoke at the concert to explain how they help refugees and we encourage residents to donate during July, after the concert, in order to support the work of these important charities:

• Cambridge Convoy Refugee Action Group
• Refugee Hardship Fund, administered by Cambridge Ethnic Community Forum refugee services

School performers involved singers and musicians and poets from: Shirley Primary Community School, St Matthew’s Primary School, Milton Road Primary School, Arbury School, Castle SEN School, Icknield Primary School, Stapleford Primary School, Linton Heights Junior School, Linton Village College, Coleridge and Parkside Community Colleges, Netherhall School.