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August 2021 newsletter

About

Room2Dream is a poetry, music, dance and film project that connects young people in UK secondary schools, hospital schools and bereavement groups with their peers in other parts of the world who are facing loss as a result of conflict, displacement, war, death or illness. Room2Dream asks the question: ‘Has there ever been a more important time for the voices of young people, especially those who are most affected by life threatening situations, to be heard?’

The project works closely with young creative leaders of the future and seeks to build opportunities for engagement, collaboration and training.

Room2Dream is an innovative development from Dream a Difference www.dreamadifference.art – a peer led poetry sharing website designed to explore the experience of loss for young people worldwide. Together we’re creating global filmed exchanges where an audience can enter other people’s dreams and hopes as we explore the theme of HOME together.

Room2Dream creates connections in times of isolation whilst highlighting positive role models of diverse cultural experiences to enrich learning. Sixteen groups of young people – from hospices, hospital schools, youth groups, informal learning centres and colleges have started to work together to create an ambitious artwork for a global audience. 

Young artists from Word Warriors Nepal, ACM UK, Winnall Rock School UK, Prince Edward School Zimbabwe, Rainbows Hospice UK have kickstarted this incredible project, we share their work here and look forward to working with them again in September!

Welcome to our first newsletter

Welcome to the Room2Dream newsletter! In our monthly update we will share news from our partnerships and keep you updated with the development of the project.

Our project coordinator Kirsten will be sending out the news. Kirsten is an arts administrator, musician and educator and can be reached on this email: ksbeveridge@gmail.com

On Saturday 10th April, Lucinda Jarrett, poet and Artistic Director Rosetta Life joined young poets from Syria, students from Prep B school Gaza, Dream a Dream India and Word warriors Nepal all took part in the Sierra Poetry Festival where they read their poems and we talked about the project.

Image below: Noor, poet from prep B school Gaza.


https://www.facebook.com/sierrapoetryfestival/videos/2975018729379401/

Hear the poems on the Sierra poetry Festival Facebook Page.


WORKSHOPS BEGIN!

This summer, we were delighted to welcome Winnall Rock school to the project. https://winnallrockschool.org/ They partnered and continue to partner Prince Edward school in Harare, their poem (soon to become a song) is featured below.

We also delivered our first poetry workshop with Rainbows Hospice, UK. They will be working in partnership with Sunflower hospice in South Africa.

We have also witnessed the incredible collaboration between artists at ACM (Academy of Contemporary Music) and Word Warriors Nepal.

We are looking forward to all of the partnerships starting in September, please keep us updated on your news!

SHARING

We are looking for your creative project delivery tips and classroom photographs!
If you have anything that you would like to share, please send it over to us at ksbeveridge@gmail.com

DIGIFEST

Please join us on August 16th – we are delighted to have our own Dream a Difference virtual festival tent – hosted by project partner ACM. This is not a live event, but we hope you will share any recordings of your performances and log on to see the recording of ACM and Word Warriors performances of their songs. It’s a fantastic opportunity for our project partners to share poetry and music with our wider Room2Dream community and a public audience! Please send us a recording (video or audio) of your poetry reading or track – jennierosettalife@gmail.com and we will send you the link to view the videos and hear the songs.


FUNDRAISING

We are in the process of creating a short film about Room2Dream to help promote our project, raise awareness, and kick-start our Crowdfunder campaign to enable more partnerships to join.

We are working with project partners in Kigali, Rwanda to support young people living at the Kigali refugee camp who are taking part in the project, in accessing some musical recording equipment and training- our plan is to purchase some essential kit for their recreation space. Funding also supports poets, musicians and workshop leaders across the world to take part and run poetry and music workshops and exchanges.

We are looking for short videos clips from our participants to add to our fundraising film. If you want to help by filming a clip with of yourself performing/reading a poem or talking about the project please send to Kirsten and tell us about your organisation what the arts brings to your group.

Here are some tips for shooting the best video possible:

  • Remember to speak slowly and clearly to ensure your audience can catch everything you are saying
  • Keep your video short – no more than one minute
  • Check your background – you want to make sure that you are the main point of interest!
  • Introduce yourself and or your organistaion!
  • Check your lighting – natural light is best, and make sure it’s not too bright or too dark
  • Read a poem or share a song or just introduce yourself and why you feel the project is important

Please send your clips to ksbeveridge@gmail.com


SENDING YOUR NEWS 

If you have an update, some poetry or artwork that you would like to share, please send it over to us at ksbeveridge@gmail.com and we shall include it in the next newsletter, this is your space to share your ideas and thoughts!

(Please note that If you are sending images or videos, you must ensure that you have consent for the use of these images on a public forum – please use the consent form here)

****Don’t forget to follow us and tag us @DreamDifference #Room2Dream and share!***

Word Warriors Nepal & ACM www.acm.ac.uk

Every month we will highlight a different partnership in our project. This month, we focus on ACM and Word Warriors. Led by artist and ACM tutor Leddra Chapman and Ward Warriors spoken word artist and musician Rochack Dahal

Watch the video below to get a snapshot of this exciting collaboration and join us at Digifest to listen to their finished songs and poems!

https://acm.zoom.us/rec/play/m5OU_wdnBe0tNMzNCpPwj40weFPkw0If7ZW9kW33wafeZtx1fQGPAE7EZk68q4Crs51OCi4lEhtPJ4Q.fQ0OPDa5Y7011uA7?autoplay=true

Your space to share art work and poetry.

Send your work to Kirsten for the next newsletter at ksbeveridge@gmail.com

Some poetry from exchanges that took place May – July 2021


Millions of leaves connected by the trunk of a tree
This is how I want the world to be 
They blow in the wind, and suffer the strain
No leaf should be alone in such pain 
A little water, and the warm embrace of the sun
In their short time alive, they also need some fun 
The leaves, all as one, living happily in the tree
This is how I want the world to be

Sam & Alex, Rainbows Leicester


لولو العف

لا تنظر للخلف

لا تنظر للخلف
إذا كان ذلك الحاجر يمنعك من التقدم للأمام
ابذل ما بوسعك ولا تجعله كابوسا فتاكاً
كن كما أنت
لا تنظر للخلف
اجتز اعلى مراتب النجاح
لتجعل من نفسك مكتبة
تدهش بها الغرباء
إصعد للقمم لا تستسلم لمحاولات الإحباط 
حقق حلمك …كن أنت التغيير
كن أنت المفتاح الذى يفتح أقفال الحياة المتأكسدة
نعم إصعد لا تستسلم للواقع
تذكر أن فراشات الأمل ترفعك من جديد
والنور المنبثق من الامل سيعلو ويشرق فوق مدينتك
لا تلتفت للوراء…لا تستسلم
لا خيار لك سوى المضي قدماً 
خيارك أن تشق الظلمة إلى النور 
كن حريصاً على أن لا تنسى سيف العزيمة 
كي تقلع به أشواك اليأس
لتكمل الطريق بكل قوتك وطلاقة فكرك 
حينها كن واثقآ بأن دروب الإبداع والتألق بانتظارك.

Don’t look backwards! 

If looking backwards prevents you making progress, Get rid of this obstacle!
Keep stepping forward!
Do your best!
Don’t make such an obstacle a nightmare that destroys you.
Be yourself!
Don’t look backwards!
Master the highest level of success – Become a fount of knowledge that surprises others!
Climb to the highest peaks!
Do not give up,
Achieve your dreams.
Be the change,
Be the key to unlocking the oxidizing locks of life.
Yes, go upstairs!
Do not give in to reality.
And remember that the butterflies of hope will raise you again.
The light emanating from hope will rise and shine over your city, Do not turn your eyes away.
Don’t give up!
You have no choice but to move forward.
It is your choice to split the darkness into the light. Be careful not to forget the sword of resolve,
Take off the thorns of despair.
Complete the path with all your strength Use fluency of thought
Be confident … The paths of creativity and brilliance await you.

PREP B SCHOOL, GAZA

A Recipe For Freedom

Take a pinch of composure
Half a cup of hope
Just a dab of ease
A spoonful of confidence
Two litres of wisdom
A closed door, broken into small pieces
Half a pint of breaking free
Five grams of love.

Whisk them until they are coated with respect,
folding the breaking free
into the confidence, until firm
Soak in boiling wisdom
Set aside and wait, patiently

Meanwhile, sous-vide love, faith and hope together
Bake them with power
in an oven of justice
built by a million hands.
Heat at 500 degrees Celsius
until the grace begins to rise
with a desire to break free
Sizzle it in the centre of a dying star
called Love.
It will smell sooooo good,
like pizza
It will smell of prosperity,
the tears of injustice
It will smell so scrupulous,
like joy.

Cool it in composure until 7 o’clock.
7 o’clock is when freedom prevails.

Serve it to everyone you don’t know,
lightly warmed with a side of courage
and a superlative tinge of happiness.

Prince Edward School Zimbabwe & Winnall Rock School Winchester UK


Prince Edward School, Harare, Zimbabwe poetry club
Winnall Rock School Rehearsal ahead of their show on 15th July where their song collaboration was perfromed!

August 9th – Please send videos and recordings in for Digifest by the 9th August

August 16th – Watch the perfromances – link to follow!

September – Partnership planning meetings begin with UK and international partners in Scotland, Oxfordshire, Surrey, London, Damascus, Gaza, Rwanda and India!

September 29th – Project networking meeting for all partners – email to follow

October – Choreographic and filming workshops begin

Please follow us on social media to get the latest news on our project.

Tag us on social media with images and poems based on your idea of home!