Saturday night meeting and Inga's birthday

A meeting at SEF (Southern England Farms), Leedstown, with Inga and Vadim who will be working with me on workshops in schools around Cornwall next week. It's the end of a long day for them both - a Saturday night. And in addition Inga's birthday! Am so pleased that they are willing and able to help. Discover, too, new things about them both. Vadim was junior dance champion of Latvia. Inga is a champion runner (representing her home town, Vilnius).
Outside it's a cold summer evening.

The local parish magazine is out and in it is news of The Hidden Life of a Cornish Farm, shot by Inga and three fellow workers. Grass roots coverage. Great that this way, at least, local people will hear about the neighbours they tend to have little contact with...

A misty morning in west Cornwall

A misty morning in west Cornwall for our first workshop directly with children of migrant workers and their friends. Children at Pool School have volunteered, in pairs, to attend.
We arrive first thing and work all day. Games first to break the ice. A prize for the pair building the highest tower.

People are so creative that we award a further prize for the most imaginative structure - architecturally.

Then we get to work, making cases of metaphorical journeys. Children have come from Poland, Latvia and Lithuania to the school. Ewa Cimochowska, who has been helping throughout, has come along to help

People draw pictures from their journeys to this country. We discuss problems faced - difficulties and how were best tackled.   
We've brought our map suitcases to help things along - here pictured with new cases.

One of the aims of this workshop is to come up with an Action Plan, that might be used in this school and elsewhere to help new arrivals - children who don't speak English, find it tough to make friends and experience difficulties.
All sorts of suggestions are made...
It is a very lively team.

Who have their own ideas of how to brainstorm! They draw a picture of an imaginary Greek girl, called Luella, who arrives at the school.

Then imagine her thoughts and feelings.
A good day. Lunch in the school canteen and the first time for ages I have had chocolate sponge and custard.

Later call in at SEF (Southern England Farms) Leedstown, to see the four filmmakers whose film premiered at I Packed This Myself in Truro in March. We discuss future plans.

It's a fairly chilly early summer evening - slightly damp and the trees (just) in full leaf.

Drive past daffodils fields that are now being prepared for the next crop.

Final touches at Penair and daffodil pickers working later

To Penair School, Truro, to put the final touches to I Packed This Myself, the exhibition opening there tomorrow night. We will be screening a film by four Lithuanian workers alongside work by artists on the theme of migration - as well as work by students.  Ewa and Waldek Cimochowscy help set everything out with Carmel Henry and Tanya Davies, the teachers who have worked so hard on the project. Their efforts have really borne fruit. Fantastic art  by students and very thought-provoking suitcases.

 

Ewa, Waldek and I have a meeting afterwards to discuss bookings for next term. We are keen to target schools with greatest needs and plan different strategies for different age groups. 

It is nearly dark by the time I near home - but the daffodil pickers are only just finishing. Can hear voices calling across the fields as the bus gets ready to drive everyone back to base.