Kitabna - Our Book CIC’s Post

Amidst work on the latest My Hero book, our beautiful project with Save the Children in Poland, and our toolkit launch in Armenia, it was such a joy to pitch this workshop first to my partner, Aleksandra Magryta, and then to Martha Crean, Public Art Coordinator at the University of Bristol, when she invited me to come back and work with Somali mums and teenagers at their Little Library this February 2024. Last summer at the Little Library, we rewrote some folktales, with a twist… cautionary tales of children being stolen away by monsters were reworked with children fighting back, taking on the mythical Dhegdeer with the help of a Hyena King! This year, and for the first time, we are combining Kitabna - Our Book CIC story-writing tools with Aleks’ experience of Wen-Do workshop facilitation for women and teenage girls, supporting them in the creation of emotional boundaries and self-defence 💜 it makes sense to me, as last time we saw mums and their teenage daughters writing new narratives, together, that brought about safe and satisfying conclusions. The place where our work meets is that of the voice: how we use it, and help others use it to tell people who they are - and about their right to dignity and respectful treatment. Nothing diminishes that: not our gender, nor our ethnicity, immigration status, abilities or sexuality. It was a resounding yes from Martha and Lizzie, and what a joy - and first! - to stand beside my partner and share some (creative) principles of self-expression. I am so proud of Aleks and the skills all who practice Wen-Do share with women and girls. Some demonstration and insights from Aleks here, last week on television in Poland - “Women using their voice to protect themselves” https://lnkd.in/ev7YKbV3. I also had the chance to meet graphic novelist, Zaynab Abdi, author of “Voice for Refuge” late last year, and she loved hearing about the work the Little Library teenagers were doing in Bristol. So… what comes next, with these Bristolian teenagers and their Wellspring Settlement stories, let’s see… and of course, everyone is welcome to join us at the following events 💜 ******************* "In this workshop we will explore how animals use their voices and reflect on how and when we humans use our voices. We will use prompts and games to help us write and illustrate stories in groups. Important information: Please note that this workshop will be most suitable for children age 8 + and their carers. Parents/carers will be encouraged to join in with the activities alongside their children." For the morning:   https://lnkd.in/eHhMrFnr   For the afternoon:   https://lnkd.in/eB4fQSdq