The Monthly discusses the Translating Age project with participant, Barbara Boyle – Part 3 – The project worked on all levels

You have strong feelings about the success of the Translating Age project?

I thought the project worked on many levels. Friendships emerged through the project, confidence was built, people felt heard in ways that they hadn’t been heard before. I know that one of the women has enrolled in Irish classes. This happened after we attended classes in Turas, the Irish language project in east Belfast.

I have trained as a tour guide so I lead tours which look at the history of Northern Ireland, from the United Irishmen, to Frederick Douglas, to the Troubles. So I certainly feel very connected to local history and I will also be looking at doing some tours with other people from the group to learn more about Northern Irish and Irish history.

Where to now?

Well we are all looking forward to seeing everyone’s work on the website which has been created for the project. And I am hoping that there might be a follow-up project either with the participants or with other people.

I do think that this project has made me appreciate how important art is to helping people express themselves but also with people’s mental health and with making connections with other people.

I think Community Art is very important in that you are creating art not in order to be famous or to make a living at it, but rather that everyone is allowed to be part of the arts. That making art can just be part of your life and you are allowed to do it. I think that is very important and was another key element of the project.