IN THEIR OWN WORDS

by Tracy Shaw, Loca Creatives Director

The blanket of special gifts      Photo: Talya Rochester

School's out for summer, which brings a momentary lull in our Social and Emotional Health projects with children and young people and breathing space to take stock of, and write up, the past few months' work. There have been projects to support transition and help Year 5 and 6 children prepare for change; projects with a language and literacy focus; projects designed to enable children to explore their identities and the gifts they have to give to each other and their wider community; and an extended programme focused on strengthening family interaction by giving space for children and parents to enjoy family-themed conversations and meaningful time together.

Like a golden thread, continuous reflection has run throughout all the doing and making, talking, laughing and learning - reflection with participants, with school staff, and amongst ourselves as the practitioners managing and delivering the work.  Within all our Social and Emotional Health work reflection plays a crucial part in how we do evaluation, capture the project stories, develop our professional practice, and gather evidence for the obligatory post-project reports that the work is effecting change and delivering tangible outcomes.

Reports are good, of course. They have a value not just in themselves as a means of documenting and promoting the work, but also for how the writing of them helps distil our own learning and inform future project planning. But looking back through the material that's been captured recently through the reflective processes embedded within each project, I'm reminded that there's something to be said, too, for simply letting the voices of participants and close observers speak for themselves. 

"We weren't natural leaders at the beginning but we were by the end."

"I wasn't confident with language - working with words gave me confidence."

"J is really benefitting from having opportunities to shine but also learn the consequences of his actions on a small group."

"P had an all round improvement thanks to the project. His interaction is massively better and his self-confidence and self-esteem have increased. He was a target for bullies before but he's much more confident now."

"I feel positive, that's new for me." 

"K wouldn't speak at all before, she didn't have much input, was almost 'invisible'. Now she is speaking her mind and contributing more. She has more confidence."

"L gradually really developed self-control without missing out on the enjoyment. He was able to separate himself from trouble and became more mature."

"I look forward to Thursdays. You can let it all out - all your feelings about High School and things."

"The project helped B to become better at mixing with other children, he got better and better at this as the weeks went by."

"N loved it from day one, always looked forward to the session and was consistently proud of the work he did. He was chosen because he tends to be quite immature and choose friends that are much younger than him, but to us he seem to be the most mature in the group. His confidence and faith in his abilities have really improved."

"J challenged himself every session. He is normally very insular and quiet around others but he shared with the group, was happy to speak in front of everyone and worked really well in partnership. It was great seeing him just chat about general things while he was making and doing. He relaxed with others and the project really helped him to enjoy being with other people."

"M had a safe space to experiment with different aspects of her personality and let her hair down around other children. She cares for younger siblings so it was a good reprieve for her and she had fun."

"This is the beginning of regular rituals for these children and their blanket of special gifts. It will become part of school life and its stories will be their stories."