June Newsletter
June 2022 newsletter
Dear Friends,
Happy Summertime!! It’s officially here and if you didn’t welcome in the Solstice as part of a dawn audience, there’s plenty of time to channel your hazy-day energies toward the festival season. We’re feeling truly immersed already with our recent takeover at Brighton Festival’s Riwaq stage and our participation in the inaugural Brighton Book Festival. Hats off to Afrori Books and The Feminist Bookshop for spearheading this exciting new initiative and we couldn’t be more excited to have been part of the Family Festival day with our good friend and accomplice wordsmith, AFLO.the poet leading the Little Green Pig poetry and creative writing workshop. So crack out your glow sticks and read on for our latest news, no mud required…
Amplified! At Brighton Festival
Following last month's report on our takeover weekend at Brighton Festival’s Riwaq stage we’re thrilled to share a short film capturing the creative journey of the young speakers who participated in Amplified. Over two intense weekends, writers and LGP trustees Pete Lawson (senior script writer for Eastenders) and Suhayla El-Bushra (playwright and scriptwriter for Ackley Bridge) supported by award winning poet Kat Francois and our multi-talented volunteer mentors worked with seven young people to help carve out their highly personal stories. It takes an incredible amount of courage to commit to being part of the event, embracing the art of public speaking and then taking to the stage to bare their souls and share their writing to audiences of 100’s. But the rewards can be manifold, not least for affirming self-confidence and self-belief; we are blessed to count previous participants as members of our youth board and each of those who took part this year have been invited to attend career mentoring sessions.
A huge shout out to Emma, Gowther, Loki, Mezzer, Orla, Weronika and Wren for giving so much of themselves, being so brilliant and making Amplified such a rich and moving experience for all.
Amplified 2022: Young people share their stories at Brighton Festival.
Amplified Is part of our Young Writers Collective programme working with young people aged 12 to 18 years. If you’d like to find out more, drop us a line at info@littlegreenpig.org.uk. A big thank you to Brighton Festival, Sussex Learning Network and the Office for Students Uni Connect programme for making it all possible.
Wednesdays in Worthing!
Members attending our recently relaunched Wednesday After School Club at The Laurels in Worthing have been busy researching local sights and destinations for a travel guide they’re compiling for young visitors to the seaside town which will be ready next month. With Worthing Museum and Art Gallery high on their priority list, 10 club members along with writer and workshop leader Kate Morrison went to meet Anna from the Education Team for a guided tour learning about many of the inspiring stories that some of the objects hold and the clues they offered into the past from stone-age relics to Victorian memorabilia. And if there’s any doubt about what the artifacts get up to during a Night at the Museum, Anna shared a few behind the scene secrets including the tale of the marionette whose eyes had to be pinned shut to stop them from being found open each morning!
The children got to dress up in top hats & vintage dresses, twirl parasols and check out historic 1930’s summer season tourist brochures to provide inspiration for their travel guides and we look forward to sharing their go-to Worthing highlights in the near future. In the meantime, the outdoor Spin-Out festival begins in July with loads of free events for families and young people each Saturday and another reason to get Worthing bound.
Thank you to the Fonthill Foundation for supporting our programme in Worthing and to all the volunteers who are vital to making it possible. We’re always on the lookout for story mentors so if you’d like to find out more about what’s involved in volunteering, check out our website or drop us a line at info@littlegreenpig.org.uk
Meanwhile in Brighton
Last week our Brighton After School Clubs all explored the themes of friendship and welcoming new people through writing activities around Windrush Day and Refugee Week, reminding us all of the importance of supporting those who have left their homes for one reason or another.
Little Green Pig’s stunning Letters to the Earth banners will be featured in the Queen’s Green Canopy Project, sited along Jubilee Way at Warren Hill car park near Eastbourne, the perfect place to enjoy a walk over the extended bank holiday weekend.
Finally a massive well done to everyone who has made it through their GCSEs and A Levels, and wishing you all a relaxing summer break!