Exploring our family history can help us uncover amazing things about our family and ancestors and these stories often feature migration. Here is a helpful guide to help you begin to explore your family tree and the stories hidden within. How much do you know about your parents, grandparents or relatives? Do you have someone in your family who migrated somewhere? We have created some questions for you to ask your relatives. You will also find a family tree outline to print off and fill in! You can even pin stories, drawings and photos to illustrate it. Fill in the names and draw the connecting lines – or draw your own tree. We have also highlighted some great online resources to help you dig even further. In these times of social isolation, it is more important than ever to reach out to those you can’t see via phone or video chat. And being at home for an extended period of time is a great opportunity to find out more about your family and relatives. Tell us who you got in touch with and what type of technology you used to do it.

Hollie McNish performs her poem, Mathematics. A poem on immigration based on personal experience and studies. The poem owes a lot to a book by economist Philippe Legrain called Immigrants: Your Country Needs Them. We think this works really well as a starter or plenary

Child Migrant Stories draws on the experiences of people who migrated under the age of 18 from across the world to East London from 1930 to the present day. Some came on their own; others came with, or to join family members who they may not have seen for years. Their stories are of loss and reunion but of resilience too, often in the face of war, poverty and discrimination. They are poignant, powerful and sometimes very funny.

The profiles of the people who generously participated in this project came from Turkey, Cyprus, Brazil, El Salvador, Poland, Italy, Southern Ireland, Vietnam, Jamaica, Antigua, Guinea, Nigeria, Rwanda, Yemen, Somalia, India, Bangladesh and Pakistan at different ages between 5 and 17. Some experiences, drawing on child migrants’ own words, have been highlighted in Spotlight Stories. Four films, developed in collaboration with former child migrants and drawing on their creativity, bring these experiences vividly to life through image, music and art.

The Child Migrant Stories teaching resources have been developed with and for educators for use in classrooms, heritage sites and other informal learning spaces across the UK.

Click here to view and download resources.

A scheme of work across five lessons supporting the English Language assessment objectives for GCSE. Follow English teacher Hassan, from Syria, as he leaves his war-torn country and attempts to travel to the UK. Using phone cameras, interviews and voiceover, the BBC documentary series shines a light on the untold story of the migrant crisis. His story— dramatic and dismaying by turn—will enable students to practise a range of reading, writing and listening skills while building their understanding of a critical issue affecting people across the world today.

This 8-minute introduction to International Migration gives an overview of the history of migration, keywords and push and pull factors in the context of the European Union. Recommended as a starter activity in lessons or as part of a unit about migration in Geography/History/Citizenship.

From Joern Barkemeyer and Jan Kuenzl

Click here for more information about the project WissensWerte

We have created a visual story to help teachers plan your journey to the museum and to familiarise yourself with the various areas and exhibitions.

Young people on the IWM Moving Stories Summer School interview Holocaust survivor Cirla Lewis about her experience of displacement as a result of the Second World War.

Young people on the IWM Moving Stories Summer School interview Rwandan survivor Eric Murangwa Eugene about his experience of forced migration and displacement as a result of the Rwandan genocide.

Young people on the IWM Moving Stories Summer School interview Afghan refugee Gulwali Passarlay about his experience of forced migration and displacement as a result of the war in Afghanistan.

Young people on the IWM Moving Stories Summer School interview Bosnian survivor Safet Vukalic about his experience of forced migration and displacement as a result of the Bosnian war.