Community Story-telling project

Follow the link to the film short made during the project:

https://youtu.be/5ZMzeBRyP8w?si=9WNqk68Plr5UPoWy

As we passed the first anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine, this project was realised to mark a unique moment of our community’s history. More than 900 Ukrainians have settled across Dorset since the Russian Invasion, forcing thousands to flee their homeland. Weymouth has welcomed and hosted many Ukrainian families – some 118 remain a year on. This pertinent, and cathartic Multi-media Arts Therapy R & D project gathered legacy stories, giving voice to those telling them –from both Ukrainian families and Weymouth hosts. The project was realised during a series of shared relaxation, role-play, storytelling, and theatre-games workshops for families. The adults – mainly women – and children in separate spaces to encourage an uninhibited, truthful telling of experiences using practice that suited them on the day. The culmination of these professionally led workshops produced a poem called Rucksack dedicated to the families, a new song written by Slavio Pole and his wife Irina, and a short film documenting the process and the evaluation presented to the group, friends, stakeholders, and practitioners. The form and style devised by all involved during the process having been introduced to puppetry, movement, dance, song, roleplay, storytelling, and folklore in workshops. Ukrainian professional practitioners – an Art Therapist, a song writing duo, a translator were engaged – along with local performing arts professionals made up the AsOne Creative Team.

Oksana Papeta from Ukraine has worked in Kiev as a theatre director, psychologist, and art therapist said,” It was interesting and valuable work because real stories will be documented. What is important is that it will be therapeutic for Ukrainians. The adults need strength for their children. I was happy to support such an interesting and necessary project”.

The host family stories were equally important with all kinds of experiences to tell from the expected to unexpected – dealing with a mix of relief, sharing, trauma, caring, homesickness, language barriers, and an exchange of culture. They welcomed strangers into their homes and hearts, but it wasn’t all straight forward.

A book is in the curation stages before being published.