CRAP! Collective is active in encouraging all events, gatherings and meetings to be as parent/carer friendly and child-friendly as possible.
This is so that parents/carers with young children are not unfairly discriminated against and prevented from attending or participating in such events.
We are particularly concerned about the lack of understanding about the needs of parents/carers/children within feminist circles.
Below is one example of a letter that was sent to the organising group of a recent feminist gathering, who had stated there was definately not going to be a creche provided in reply to our first query about the event.
Feel free to use/adapt this sample letter to send to other feminist events with no child provisions you are attending:
To [Feminist Organising Group],
Thats a shame that there is no creche provision for this event. In the
event of no creche provision, the next best move is to have a space/corner
which is a dedicated kids area with colouring in/toys and books and
seating for parents/carers.
If parents/carers have to take their chidlren with them to meetings, then
there should be toys/colouring-in etc provided to occupy them and allow
parents/carers to concentrate and contribute to the meeting. It would be a
good idea to have volunteers (from the organising group ideally)attending
each meeting who are able to play with the children if they start to get
bored or need a drink etc. Or ask around at the begninning of the meeting
for volunteers so that everyone attending should share childcare in this
way.
Facilitators should make it clear to the attendees that the children may
make noise but that the parent/carer should not be made to feel bad about
this, but supported, as there are no creche factilities. People can just talk louder or offer their services to play with the child/get a snack.
Feminist events must be inclusive to all and not discriminate against
parents/carers, especially affecting the majority of single mothers on low
incomes with no childcare-support network.
No creche provision means that even if you adhere to the parent/child-friendly organising suggestions above, the liklihood still is that parent/carers will decide not to attend your event or not be able to participate fully in discussions. Input from feminist parents/carers should be valued, not discourged.
I hope your organising group will consider the above points prior to your
event this [Saturday].
All the best,
[You or Your Collectives Name]
Showing posts with label Kidspace. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kidspace. Show all posts
Wednesday, 15 December 2010
Saturday, 5 September 2009
Eco-Feminist Storytelling Workshop for Kids at Climate Camp 2009
On Tuesday 1st September 2009, members of the CRAP! Collective (Child Rearing Against Patriarchy) led an ‘Eco-Feminist Storytelling’ workshop, in the autonomous Kidspace at this year’s Climate Camp in London. The kids ranged in ages from 2-11 years.
The workshop began with introductions. There was a name go-around, and each person talked a little about their favourite book, and what they liked best about it. The adults from the Collective then introduced some of the stories they would be reading to the kids that day: ‘Rainforest’ by Helen Cowcher, ‘Dinosaurs- and all that rubbish’ by Michael Foreman, ‘Spacegirl Pukes’ by Katy Watson and Vanda Carter, and ‘Fantastic Daisy Artichoke’ by Quentin Blake. These books were chosen due to their ‘eco’ or ‘feminist’ credentials, and also because they suited the ages of the kids in the workshop that day.
After each book was read, there was a brief chat about what we liked best and what we liked worst about the book. What messages was it trying to give the reader? What was special about the characters in the book? Were there elements of the stories that seemed unusual to find in a kids storybook? Then there was chat about the lead characters in the stories- in the two ‘eco’ books there were no female characters, whereas the two other stories had either strong female characters or a gender-neutral balance. There was talk about why we may think many ‘eco’ stories have male lead characters, and the difficultly that the adults leading the workshop had, in finding books for young children that were both ‘eco’ and also ‘feminist’ with a strong female lead character, or even with just a non-sexist outlook.
A circle was formed by the workshop participants, ready to create their very own collective story! Now they were to play the ‘Circle Stories’ game: kids create a story together- one line at a time. Going round in a circle, each kid takes turns adding a line building up the story to an often crazy end! There was an improvised ‘Story-stick’ which was passed around from kid to kid so everybody knew whose turn it was to say their line. An adult was present to write down the finished story in the kids’ own words.
Thanks to the kids and their excellent imaginations, we all had great fun. And here is their story…
Once Upon a Tuesday, Climate Camp Saved the Trees
Written collectively by the kids at Climate Camp Kidspace 2009
Once upon a Tuesday, I was going to the park. There was a crash! I wondered, ‘What was that noise?’. There was a car crash. All the birds flew out of their trees. It was Karen. Then a bird landed on Karen’s shoulder, and Karen said ‘Hello!’ to an Anarchist. A Butterfly came past, and a Snail. All the animals and Karen had a picnic. At the end, there was a ginormous Tortoise, which suddenly started to fly. And then it landed, and it ‘pogged in a poggy dog’! In animal language that means, ‘A car is on fire!’.
The Tortoise went to Climate Camp. A Caterpillar walked past with boots on, and fired the boots off! All of a sudden it started to rain, and then the Tortoise sheltered everybody under its shell. The more it rained the more the Tortoise grew and grew, and his belly grew bigger and bigger. Then the Tortoise did the biggest wee in the world, and put the car out that was on fire! And then a big wave of wee fell over everyone.
There was a big Mirror with boots on going past. The Firemen came and cut some trees down. Everyone was sad. And then the Snail had an idea… ‘I know!’ she said, ‘Why don’t we dig underground to live?’. A little Mole came out, and the Mole said to a passing Punk, ‘Do you know where Climate Camp is?’. Then they soon got to Climate Camp and they stayed in a giant Snail tent! And where they were, a Superhero was putting all the trees back, by planting some new ones.
More fire came, and the trees fell back down. Then the Firemen came back. The Firemen were really sorry for taking the trees down before. The Firemen said, ‘I’m very sorry, I’ll help you plant some new ones’. The Punk popped up again and said ‘It’s true, Climate Camp isn’t just for Christmas, it’s for life!’ And Gordon the Big Engine said ‘Where are all the Firewomen?’. Someone said they had all gone to space. The Mirror zoomed past and said ‘You’ve got no seeds to plant the trees, but with my Magic Mirror Spray- I can put the trees back, just like they were yesterday! Pazzeeee!’ The seeds that had been sprayed filled the Earth, and the Earth was re-tree’ed once again. And they all lived happily ever after.
The End!
The workshop began with introductions. There was a name go-around, and each person talked a little about their favourite book, and what they liked best about it. The adults from the Collective then introduced some of the stories they would be reading to the kids that day: ‘Rainforest’ by Helen Cowcher, ‘Dinosaurs- and all that rubbish’ by Michael Foreman, ‘Spacegirl Pukes’ by Katy Watson and Vanda Carter, and ‘Fantastic Daisy Artichoke’ by Quentin Blake. These books were chosen due to their ‘eco’ or ‘feminist’ credentials, and also because they suited the ages of the kids in the workshop that day.
After each book was read, there was a brief chat about what we liked best and what we liked worst about the book. What messages was it trying to give the reader? What was special about the characters in the book? Were there elements of the stories that seemed unusual to find in a kids storybook? Then there was chat about the lead characters in the stories- in the two ‘eco’ books there were no female characters, whereas the two other stories had either strong female characters or a gender-neutral balance. There was talk about why we may think many ‘eco’ stories have male lead characters, and the difficultly that the adults leading the workshop had, in finding books for young children that were both ‘eco’ and also ‘feminist’ with a strong female lead character, or even with just a non-sexist outlook.
A circle was formed by the workshop participants, ready to create their very own collective story! Now they were to play the ‘Circle Stories’ game: kids create a story together- one line at a time. Going round in a circle, each kid takes turns adding a line building up the story to an often crazy end! There was an improvised ‘Story-stick’ which was passed around from kid to kid so everybody knew whose turn it was to say their line. An adult was present to write down the finished story in the kids’ own words.
Thanks to the kids and their excellent imaginations, we all had great fun. And here is their story…
Once Upon a Tuesday, Climate Camp Saved the Trees
Written collectively by the kids at Climate Camp Kidspace 2009
Once upon a Tuesday, I was going to the park. There was a crash! I wondered, ‘What was that noise?’. There was a car crash. All the birds flew out of their trees. It was Karen. Then a bird landed on Karen’s shoulder, and Karen said ‘Hello!’ to an Anarchist. A Butterfly came past, and a Snail. All the animals and Karen had a picnic. At the end, there was a ginormous Tortoise, which suddenly started to fly. And then it landed, and it ‘pogged in a poggy dog’! In animal language that means, ‘A car is on fire!’.
The Tortoise went to Climate Camp. A Caterpillar walked past with boots on, and fired the boots off! All of a sudden it started to rain, and then the Tortoise sheltered everybody under its shell. The more it rained the more the Tortoise grew and grew, and his belly grew bigger and bigger. Then the Tortoise did the biggest wee in the world, and put the car out that was on fire! And then a big wave of wee fell over everyone.
There was a big Mirror with boots on going past. The Firemen came and cut some trees down. Everyone was sad. And then the Snail had an idea… ‘I know!’ she said, ‘Why don’t we dig underground to live?’. A little Mole came out, and the Mole said to a passing Punk, ‘Do you know where Climate Camp is?’. Then they soon got to Climate Camp and they stayed in a giant Snail tent! And where they were, a Superhero was putting all the trees back, by planting some new ones.
More fire came, and the trees fell back down. Then the Firemen came back. The Firemen were really sorry for taking the trees down before. The Firemen said, ‘I’m very sorry, I’ll help you plant some new ones’. The Punk popped up again and said ‘It’s true, Climate Camp isn’t just for Christmas, it’s for life!’ And Gordon the Big Engine said ‘Where are all the Firewomen?’. Someone said they had all gone to space. The Mirror zoomed past and said ‘You’ve got no seeds to plant the trees, but with my Magic Mirror Spray- I can put the trees back, just like they were yesterday! Pazzeeee!’ The seeds that had been sprayed filled the Earth, and the Earth was re-tree’ed once again. And they all lived happily ever after.
The End!
Sunday, 5 April 2009
G20 Convergence: The Kidspace
This post is about the kidspace and childcare cooperative that was organised to facilitate the protest and activism of parents and carers around the G20 summit in London on the 1st and 2nd of April 2009. The kidspace and childcare cooperative was organised by CRAP! Collective (Child Rearing Against Patriarchy), London Pro-feminist Mens Group, the Global Mutiny Network and the community of Ravens Ait island (websites at the end of this article).
Raven's Ait is a squatted island on the River Thames near Surbiton, South London. This artificially made island, which is actually still common land, is steeped in political history, although more recently has been used for weddings and corporate events. The present occupants are creating an amazing peaceful space for community, an eco-conference centre, permaculture gardens and workshops on sustainability and environmental issues.
Raven's Ait was the perfect place for the kidspace. We had a large indoor playroom with views of the river and passing boats, and a stunning grass lawn for the kids to run around on on and climb trees. We had loads of fun playing games and doing forest-school inspired crafts, such as: making dreamcatchers/ spiders webs, nature crowns, tipis, parachute games, football, twister, a mini rock concert, lots of drawing and painting, Spanish singing, picnics and even played croquet on the lawn, dahling! Being at Raven's Ait also gave the children a chance to experience communal living and working, in a safe space, away from the noise of the city and the police brutality during the G20 protests.
Many actions and demos can easily be made more welcoming for children and their carers to participate in, and we would encourage this. However in respect to this weeks G20 protests, we made the decision that it was too unpredictable and heavy for our children to attend, and looking back on it we feel we made the right decision organising the kidspace away from the action.
Mainstream society is not very welcoming to parents, carers and children, and personally I feel that often activism isnt either. Capitalism places no value, monetary or otherwise, on the work parents do, and patriarchy designates it as women's work. As activists we need to challenging these notions. We need to ensure that as much value is placed on the role of childcare, as is placed on all other aspects of organising actions, demos, meetings, workshops, etc.We also need to be challenging the sexist notion that women should be looking after the children, by ensuring that more men are given childcare roles. Paid childcare is very expensive, and most of us cant afford to pay for it to go to meetings or do actions, so if childare isnt provided, or children aren't welcome at meetings etc than we just cant go. Even if childcare cant be arranged, than we should at least think about enabling children attend with their parents/carers.
This is an appeal for all those organising in the UK at the moment to ensure that your organising facilitates parents, carers and children attending and getting involved.
Dont leave your friends behind!
To get involved: http://www.ravensait.org.uk/, http://www.feministchildrearing.blogspot.com/, http://www.londonprofeministmensgroup.blogspot.com/, http://www.global-mutiny.webs.com/
To listen to our radio interview on dissident island from the kidspace, visit http://www.dissidentisland.org/ and listen to G20 part 1, we're about 30 minutes into the show.
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