The Tendring Junior Ambassador Project aimed to encourage primary school children to become more involved in their community and take pride in the area in which they live. It took place in 2023-4 and was run by Tendring District Council, supported by Essex Cultural Diversity Project.

The project’s theme was Cultural Awareness; by being part of this initiative, Junior Ambassadors became community representatives who delivered the message to friends and families about their understanding of the differences between themselves and people from other countries or other backgrounds, especially differences in attitudes and values.

588 primary school children in Years 5 and 6 took part in a series of cultural workshops involving representatives of varying cultures. Prior to this Colchester United’s Community Foundation Team delivered an interactive session on Hate Crime. This was viewed as an essential part of the project, and all activities that followed served to combat hate crime simply by creating a first-hand experience for the children, of the joy of other cultures.

Over a six-week period, the cultural workshops included:

• African storytelling and singing delivered by artist Usifu Jalloh, also known as the Cowfoot Prince.
• A presentation on Chinese culture and a Chinese calligraphy workshop, delivered by Simone Xue of Colchester Chinese Culture Society.
• A presentation on the culture and history of Ukraine by Lera Dmytriw, followed by a craft workshop with the children producing sunflower cards, sunflowers being the national flower of Ukraine.
• Art and writing sessions delivered by Clare Driver and Anita Belli who worked with the children to capture their thoughts and experiences as they journeyed through other lands, resulting in a comic-style booklet that acted as an informative resource for schools.

At the end of their journey the children showcased their learning by taking part in a celebration event at the Princes Theatre, Clacton on Sea during the autumn term.  Of the 16 classes taking part during the year, eight participated in the show, amounting to 336 children singing African and Ukrainian songs, reciting poetry, delivering testimonies, and supported by the artist Sarika, performed a Bollywood Dance routine. The production was attended by an audience of 250 parents and carers.