The Londonderry Bands Forum released a Children’s Activity Booklet, a creative and engaging resource to support good relations, promote cultural awareness, and introduce young learners to the rich heritage of local band traditions.
The Community Relations Council supports the organisation through its Core Fund Scheme.
The full-colour booklet, aimed at ages 5 to 11, is filled with fun and educational content, including puzzles, colouring pages, word games, and musical activities. Each page has been developed to spark curiosity while fostering respect, empathy, and a sense of pride in local identity and cultural diversity.
The activity booklet is a new addition to the Forum’s wider education and outreach programme, which works with schools, youth groups, and community organisations across Derry/Londonderry. This programme includes classroom visits, band demonstrations, history sessions, and intergenerational workshops – all designed to increase understanding, break down stereotypes, and build connections between communities through the lens of music and tradition.
The project has been supported by Derry City and Strabane District Council, and the Department of Foreign Affairs. This support has enabled the Forum to develop and distribute the booklet freely to schools and community groups throughout the district.
Andrew Lynch, Project Co-ordinator at the Londonderry Bands Forum, said: “Our education programme aims to provide safe spaces for young people to explore cultural identity and shared history in a way that is inclusive, respectful, and meaningful. The new activity booklet is a great way of introducing these ideas to younger children in a fun, creative way that plants the seeds of understanding early on.”
The booklet has been created in partnership with teachers, musicians, bands, and partner groups within the North West Cultural Partnership. The booklet will be distributed free of charge to primary schools, community centres, band halls, and youth organisations throughout Derry/Londonderry and the wider area. It will be distributed free of charge through schools, youth groups, band halls, and community centres.
One teacher involved in the pilot sessions praised the resource for its balance of creativity and education:
“It’s great to see something like this that’s local, engaging, and really helps children understand the positive role bands can play in community life. The activities are brilliant for developing literacy and creativity, but also for starting wider conversations about identity and respect.”
The Londonderry Bands Forum’s education work is part of a broader mission to use cultural engagement as a pathway to reconciliation and positive community relations. Over the past decade, the Forum has led a wide range of initiatives that promote dialogue, mutual respect, and youth empowerment – from cross-community music projects and heritage exhibitions to leadership training and skills development for young band members.
Andrew added, “Our hope is that by encouraging understanding at an early age, we can help create a society where cultural expression is something that unites us, not divides us.”
For more information about the Children’s Activity Booklet or to request copies, please contact Andrew by email on andrew@londonderrybandsforum.com.
Read more about Londonderry Bands Forum.