workshop 11

Space-creating

 
 

overview

This workshop is all about making a mark and creating a special space for Be Her Lead in your school. We encourage you to take up space as a group, and feel valued and important in your school community!

“Space” does not have to be interpreted as a physical space. It could be a room, or a wall display, or digital space, and could be built on over time.

It could relate to the commitments you have to one another, and the dynamic you have built when you meet. You could incorporate the Be Her Lead Code you drew up in Workshop 4 , adding to it and making it part of a display.

YOU WILL NEED

  • Flipchart paper and pens

check-in

Ask everyone to draw a picture in their journals of a space they personally feel is precious and special.

Use the following questions to annotate the drawings or talk together:

  • What makes this space precious and special?

  • How do they feel when they are in this space? Why?

  • What things are present / absent in this space? - this could mean feelings, emotions, words, people, objects

Some ideas might come out of this check-in that could help you work out what your Be Her Lead space will be like.

creative activity

Spend some time discussing and planning what the students would most like to do in order to create a special Be Her Lead space. You may wish to incorporate this planning with the work on telling your story in Workshop 10.

Some ideas include:

  • Decorating the room in which you hold Be Her Lead sessions – you could make posters, a sign, or even decorate cushions that can be stored away

  • Creating a display or mural somewhere around the school

  • Developing a section on the school website

  • Starting a blog for the group

  • Creating an account for your group on Instagram or other socials

  • Creating a private group on Google Classroom, or another online platform

On flip chart paper, create a quick sketch or mock up of the space together or in small groups, to help you visualise it.

discussion prompts

  • What does the word ‘space’ mean for you?

  • What does it mean to ‘take up space’ – a positive or negative thing?

  • Who currently takes up the most space in your school and wider community? Who deserves to take up more?

  • What does the space feel like when you’re together with your Be Her Lead group?

  • Why might it be important to mark or show this to each other / the rest of the school?

  • How public or private would you like your space to be?

  • What message would you like to send out about Be Her Lead?

  • What else would you like to share in the space? (this could range from issues the group wants to raise awareness of, to sharing things they like, achievements or ideas, and examples of creative work)

It is key to have a conversation about the continuum between public and private spaces. Do you want to use this as an opportunity to create a public space for your Be Her Lead group, like a display or social media account, or would you rather make your mark in a more private way, by focusing on the room where you hold sessions, or making a private online group?

check-out

Similar to the check-in exercise, do a drawing in your journals of your dream Be Her Lead space, or a dream personal space for you. This time, there are no limitations – it could be a treehouse, a cave, at the top of a skyscraper, and contain whatever furniture and items you like.

Further reading / thinking

If you are interested in the idea of creating a precious space for your Be Her Lead group, have a look at this article about creating precious spaces in schools. The article argues that the school building is ‘an active agent, shaping the experience of schooling and promoting and even pioneering a particular understanding of education’.

We also found inspiration in an exhibition about the Matrix Feminist Design Co-operative, which looked at a group of architects and designers in the 1980s who worked to empower voices and groups often excluded in the design of buildings, including Black and Asian women’s organisations, community and childcare groups and lesbian and gay housing co-operatives. Their archive is available to view online.

At Be Her Lead, we use our values of bravery, empathy and respect to define the spaces we want to create. We no longer use the term ‘safe space’, as we cannot guarantee that students will always feel safe in Be Her Lead workshops. If you’re interested in this conversation, we recommend reading this article on brave vs. safe spaces.