Books on the Edge
In Blackburn with Darwen we are very proud of Books on the Edge, a project which was recently a runner up for the Libraries Change Lives Award. Funded for 2 years by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation the success of the project has been rewarded with funding for a further 12 months from the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund.
Leona Holden, our project worker is gifted with an infectious enthusiasm. She accompanies groups of young people into the library on a weekly basis to use the IT facilities, change books and music items and generally chill out, but also works with them in the community on a range of activities including art, literacy, creative writing and a reading group.
Often, what start out as craft or reading activities become fluid and evolve into discussion sessions, which though they may begin tentatively often evolve into passionate debates on such topics as 'Is anything too serious to be joked about? If so, what?', 'How much have you controlled the course your life has taken?' and 'If I could change one thing about myself it would be...' As many of the young people have dropped out of the education system before the age of 16 this is sometimes the first time that they have been given the opportunity to express themselves in a supportive environment. Whilst it might be scary at first they soon gain in confidence as others listen and respond to what they have to say.
One of the main aims of the project is to promote reading and to support this aim collections of books chosen by the young people have been placed in our partner centres. At first some of them were reluctant to enter shops which they thought were 'posh' in case they were accused of 'nicking things.' This fear was not totally unfounded as on one occasion the group's presence in an otherwise almost empty shop quickly resulted in the appearance of 5 security guards! However, as time went by they became more confident and chose their books with great care and thought for friends who were unable to come along. These books were used to create reading areas in our partner centres, with seating and soft furnishings also chosen by the young people.
Other highlights have included a trip to the Contact Theatre in Manchester for a poetry slam, memorable not only for the exciting performance, but also because for one young man it was his first trip on a train. Poetry is an art form that many young people relate to, and such was the impact of the trip that staff organised 2 workshops, at the Fusebox and the Foyer, led by Mahogany Brown, a performance poet from New York.
An unexpected high point of the project has been the library staff training sessions. The lads from THOMAS (one of our partners in the project) expressed willingness to participate in the sessions and their input certainly changed staff attitudes if not lives. They shared their experiences of drug culture with the staff and their testimonies were so frank and honest that more than one person was moved to tears and the subsequent discussions and work groups proved fruitful and rewarding for both sides.
Geraldine Wilson June 06
