The Spoken Word Educators programme is building on the successes of the year: we're all learning more, writing more, and passing on skills that ensure the young people we're working with gain confidence, and literacy, communication and team work skills. So far, all six of us trainees have been based in one school, taking poetry lessons, mentoring sessions and supporting additional classes. We've also been studying at Goldsmiths University, looking at educational policy and pedagogical approaches, as well as developing our writing and teaching skills through personalised seminars and workshops. It sounds like a lot of stuff; it is!
Now, we are proud to present thirty-five of the people that matter most: young people from Holy Family's Spoken Word Club, who meet every week after school to create and develop their poetry. Just like in our Winter Showcase (see video above for some highlights), these dedicated 11-16 year olds have been encouraged to work in teams to produce group pieces. Some of them have been shy; some are working with people they've never met before; some have had communication or literacy difficulties; yet all have been willing to work through these issues to produce powerful poetry.
On June 19th, members of our Spoken Word club will be showcasing more of their group poems. We also have special guest Malika Booker. If you're interested in attending, please follow this link. And if you feel you can support the project in any way, please get in touch!
A lesson in empathy
The other thing we've learnt is if you're going to instruct a group of young people to piece together a group poem, it's a good idea to do it yourself too. We didn't have long to work on this... and we were all very nervous! So it makes me appreciate even more our young poets at Holy Family! Here are Indigo, Pete and my efforts:
Now, we are proud to present thirty-five of the people that matter most: young people from Holy Family's Spoken Word Club, who meet every week after school to create and develop their poetry. Just like in our Winter Showcase (see video above for some highlights), these dedicated 11-16 year olds have been encouraged to work in teams to produce group pieces. Some of them have been shy; some are working with people they've never met before; some have had communication or literacy difficulties; yet all have been willing to work through these issues to produce powerful poetry.
On June 19th, members of our Spoken Word club will be showcasing more of their group poems. We also have special guest Malika Booker. If you're interested in attending, please follow this link. And if you feel you can support the project in any way, please get in touch!
A lesson in empathy
The other thing we've learnt is if you're going to instruct a group of young people to piece together a group poem, it's a good idea to do it yourself too. We didn't have long to work on this... and we were all very nervous! So it makes me appreciate even more our young poets at Holy Family! Here are Indigo, Pete and my efforts:
No comments:
Post a Comment