Multaka Swindon

The Multaka Swindon Volunteer Project developed from work we delivered in 2024 with the Harbour Project and the Live Well Migrant Health team at Swindon Borough Council. We gave tours to groups at MAS and STEAM, took handling objects out to groups and delivered art outreach sessions based on collections. We found people were interested in our collections and wanted to share their culture, experiences and knowledge.

The Multaka Swindon Volunteer Project started in February 2025 with a visit to Multaka Oxford. With the support of Fayeza Sadat from the Live well Migrant Health Team, we took 12 people interested in volunteering at our museums to Oxford. We talked to Multaka Oxford volunteers about the work they were doing with Oxford University Museums, to generate ideas.  We received funding from Wessex Museums Partnership to run a pilot volunteer programme.

The project is managed by our Community Engagement Team, supported by Fayeza Sadat from the Live Well Team, staff and volunteers from our Collections and Exhibitions Team and Visitor Experience Team.

We hosted families from the Harbour Project over the summer of 2025 and are currently curating an exhibition, The Human Experience: Reflections on Swindon’s Art Collection.

Multaka Swindon volunteers told us about some of the things that they have gained from and enjoyed about the project: meeting new people, working as a team, increased confidence, communication, presentation and public speaking skills, improved language skills, managing stress, learning about and sharing heritage and culture, exchanging ideas, creating new experiences and sharing stories.

Multaka means Meeting Point in Arabic. The Multaka International Network encompasses projects in England, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Greece and Spain.