Shelter

"This project has made me stronger and it would definitely benefit others as it has given me back my freedom. I'm getting stronger day by day thanks to Bounce Culture." Participant S - Foyle Women's Aid

The first of it's kind in Northern Ireland, Shelter is the most powerful project Bounce Culture has designed and facilitated. Funded by the Big Lottery’s Culture For All, this pioneering project was designed to give survivors of domestic abuse a voice using the creative medium of podcast production. The resulting podcasts have succeeded in doing just that.

The women of Foyle Women’s Aid dug deep into their emotional reserves, writing personal monologues detailing their journey of survival, led group discussions, scripted and conducted peer interviews and contributed enthusiastically to four hours of podcasts. While acquiring new skills and taking ownership of their personal development and growth they were the first to achieve certificates in the newly authored Personal Success & Well Being Open College Network Accredited Course. Themes and outcomes centred on the long reaching benefits of Stress Management, Personal Motivation, Influences on Body Image, Beliefs & Values and Exploring Feelings & Emotions. In keeping with the ethos of Bounce Culture the power of music and how it corresponds to mood and memory were key to recalling memories and igniting discussion.

Realising the impact their stories could have on an international audience, the women generously gave up anonymity and bravely volunteered to represent the project in person to their own community. Once Big Lottery had given us the green light to move the project into local colleges, Derry’s St Cecilia’s and St Mary’s recognised the impact of such a project and were only too glad to welcome Shelter into the classroom.  Our teenage participants achieved OCN certificates* Personal Success & Well Being and also used discussion points raised to script questions they were keen to put to the women. Recorded as part of the podcasts, students had the opportunity to question their elders about domestic abuse and what signs to look out for in an abusive relationship. The resulting panel discussions between the women and young girls was a project milestone and humbling to experience for both facilitators and participants. The success of Shelter is due to the women of Foyle Women’s Aid and their willingness to share their stories with us, you, their community and an international audience.

*80 girls and women aged 18 to 60 participated in the project, with 66 achieving OCN accreditations in Podcast Production and Personal Success & Well Being.