Literary exchange will see city pupils hit the Hay
SCHOOL PUPILS in Bradford will take part in one of the world’s largest literature festivals as part of a “groundbreaking” exchange programme.
Bradford Literature Festival has joined forces with ‘Woodstock of the Mind’, Hay Festival, to launch a new pupil exchange programme, alongside a series of events specially curated by the West Yorkshire team at the Welsh festival.
The scheme will see 10 Year Nine pupils from Bradford schools attend Hay for two nights this May, while pupils from Powys and Herefordshire will attend Bradford Literature Festival in June. The programme aims to “expand and enrich” both groups’ life experiences, encouraging engagement and empathy.
Bradford Literature Festival director Syima Aslam said: “We are delighted to be working with Hay Festival, and hope that this will be just the beginning of a groundbreaking, longer-term partnership between our organisations.
“Bradford Literature Festival was founded with the aim of giving our district’s children and young people opportunities not only to improve literacy and engagement with literature, but to offer access to the arts and culture more broadly, ultimately opening the doors to new experiences that will inspire our young people for a lifetime.
“The exchange between the students of Powys and Herefordshire, and Bradford, perfectly encapsulates the ambitious, enquiring spirit of BLF more broadly, and we hope that the return visit from Hay will have a similarly enriching effect on our young visitors in the summer.”
Last year’s Bradford Literature Festival included 250 events.