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The Brown Camp

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06/11/2013

BBC Radio 4 - The Brown Camp

Katie Grant visits a summer camp aimed at mixed-race families.

4 Extra Debut. Katie Grant visits a summer camp for mixed-race families, working to give children access to both parents’ culture. From 2012.

If you're the lone parent of mixed-race children, how do you make sure they have access to both parents' culture? Poet and parent Katie Grant visits a summer camp in Devon aimed at mixed-race families.
 
A mixed race camp can provide a supportive environment for families with parents from different cultural and racial backgrounds. They're particularly appealing to families who live in the countryside and lack the cultural opportunities available in cities.
 
"I found that living in Dorset – if I saw a family that looked like mine – another white mother with mixed race child – I'd want to say hello, yes I'm here too – how is it for you? Obviously you can't have this conversation when you're out shopping but a look goes between you – a shared understanding. There's a visible reference – you know what I know too."
 
Squeezed between black and white communities but sometimes not accepted by either, children at the 'brown camp' can meet people who look like them, share experiences and have fun together. But do camps like this have a lasting impact?

Producer: Mary Ward-Lowery

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in November 2013.

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