Belonging
Developing A Risky Practice: Teaching and Facilitating – Reflections of a Creative English Trainer
This piece was written for the Theatre, Dance and Performance Training journal and was first published on their blog. This notion that the leader needs to be ‘in charge’ and ‘know all the answers’ is both dated and destructive… Fear leads to risk aversion. Risk […]
Connecting Through the Community
Last Wednesday, at our Community Hub’s weekly café session, something very simple, but profound and touching, happened. Riyad, who is 20 months old, was watching George, in his 80s and in a wheelchair. Riyad’s mum, Lamyae, said to him (in Arabic) ‘Go and shake hands […]
Why your project isn’t working
Community projects are great. They galvanise volunteers, they engage new residents and beneficiaries and sometimes they even attract funding! And that’s not all. They are locally rooted, they address practical needs and they are a good use of local community centres and places of worship. […]
Integration: We Think We Might Have Found The Answer!
What makes a Briton and a ‘British value’ is the thorniest of issues, but whether we agree with current government policy or not, we can agree that speaking English is a key entry point for anyone who is to integrate within the United Kingdom today. […]
Be who you are—don’t just fit in!
All human beings need a sense of belonging. It is integral to our well-being. A lack of belonging underpins the divisions in UK society that the Casey Review has identified. Segregation, deprivation and social exclusion are both the source and the consequence of failing to feel that we belong.
Fighting feelings of paralysis one cup of tea at a time. A response to Louise Casey’s review
Speaking of her visits to the Calais Jungle, Sharon Kanolik from The Old Vic/The Young Vic said, “I felt more welcomed than I have anywhere else. People invited me into their tents and offered me food. There were lots of moments of hope and humour, meeting bright resilient people.”
The Power of Testimonials
I’ve just spent a happy hour reading the testimonials from the last cohort of Creative English participants. What an uplifting experience. To give you a flavour… Creative English is very good, because I can talk more confidently to others. And I’m confident to going shopping […]
Can refugees ever belong?
As I walked into the community café, I saw Rima huddled awkwardly in a corner. I’d met her before. She was living with a friend from my church who had welcomed her into her home and was supporting her in settling in the UK. Today […]
