Today’s younger generation of South Asian families in Bradford have experienced a very different life to the one that awaited their forefathers settling here more than half a century ago.

Back then there was none of the infrastructure that Asian communities have since developed. While the men coming to live in Bradford found work, largely in the city’s mills and factories, many of the women were starting to build up homes in alien neighbourhoods, with little or no understanding of English.

Life was a struggle for those early migrants setting up homes and communities in a new country – but it’s a struggle that many of today’s young South Asians are unaware of, according to the head of the Bradford-based Consortia of Ethnic Minority Organisations (COEMO).

Established in 2000 as an umbrella body for black and minority ethnic organisations in Bradford, COEMO is leading a new project exploring the way South Asian culture, business, religion and arts have shaped the district since the 1950s.

Called Changing Bradford, and funded with a £38,900 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, it has recruited 31 young people to interview first and second-generation members of Bradford’s South Asian communities to find out about their experiences of employment and domestic, community and cultural life.

Youngsters from the Manningham Youth Project and Impressions Gallery’s New Focus group are being trained as oral history interviewers. Using audio recordings, film and photographs, they have been documenting the stories of a range of people, from retired factory workers and community leaders to politicians, business leaders and artists.

COEMO’s role is to support black and ethnic minority community groups and voluntary sector organisations, helping them to engage more effectively in mainstream activities and services in Bradford. Services include advice, training, information, advocacy and support networks.

Chief executive Dr Mohammed Salam says the Changing Bradford project will culminate in an exhibition and book.

“The key issue is community cohesion. It’s about helping young people understand what the older generation went through in terms of coming to live in another country and trying to build a life here,” he says. “It’s also about looking at the way South Asian culture and business has shaped Bradford, and it asks the question, ‘is there anything young people can learn from this?’ “Many young people were not aware of what the older generation went through. Some of them thought they’d had an easier life because they had freedom and independence to move to another country. Today’s young people are very dependent on their parents.

“Through this project they have been learning about how their elders settled here, and their experiences of work and domestic life. Some of them have been shocked at the struggle they went through. These young people are fourth and fifth generation, living in communities that support them, but for the first generation here it was a case of building everything from nothing.”

The young people have carried out research at the West Yorkshire Archives and at Blackburn Museum, which has an exhibition dedicated to South Asian history and culture.

“They had the opportunity to wear protective gloves and handle historic artefacts. They have collected around 700 photographs so far. I have been really impressed at their enthusiasm and commitment,” says Dr Salam.

For the youngsters carrying out the research and interviews, the project has been a learning curve.

“Some of the people they’ve spoken to are economically very strong – they include a man who worked at Drummonds Mill, and went on to own it, and the owner of the Mumtaz food empire, whose mother started off selling pan (a form of curry) in a corner shop,” says Dr Salam.

“Other participants in recent oral history workshops include three women of South Asian origin whose outstanding achievements in culture, business and politics have made a considerable impact on the city – the former Lord Mayor of Bradford, and the UK’s first female Muslim Lord Mayor, Councillor Naveeda Kiram, TV presenter Anita Rani, who is a regular on BBC1’s The One Show, and Usha Parmer, chief executive of Sunrise Radio.

“The aim is to inspire the younger generation in areas like business and academia.”

The project will result in an exhibition which will open at Bradford’s Impressions Gallery in October and run for a month, and a book. Copies will be available at the exhibition and in libraries and other community venues.