- ATD Fourth World

What was the objective of this writing workshop?

N. G. : To encourage children from different backgrounds to meet up. 120 children participated between 1995 - 1999, half of whom came from families living in extreme poverty. The book tells about this experience and suggests steps that promote links beginning with the poorest people, intended for individuals who would like to lead cultural and artistic groups with children or adults. What touched me most was that the workshop allowed the children to be themselves, to open up to others on a level playing field and delve deep into themselves. One of the mothers used to say: "These children have something in common."

How was the workshop run?

N. G. : A one and a half hour session took place every 2 weeks, in one of the canton’s municipal libraries. Between the sessions we would visit each family - with more frequent visits to the most isolated families - to record their ideas, invite the children, and get the family involved in the project. After each session, I would note the children’s and parents’ reactions and thoughts, as well as the interactions I noticed between the children. Then I passed the significant points back to my team. That enabled us to regularly readjust the action. Little by little some parents, librarians, and volunteer workers came to help us. We also had the opportunity to collaborate with Tremblay Secondary School’s engraving workshop. That enriched the children’s artistic expression and further widened their perspective.

Why did the workshop close?

N. G. : We did indeed decide to stop the workshop, even though there was an overall request to continue it. Our goal had been to experiment with the conditions necessary for bringing together the most excluded people and those around them, in a refusal to accept that certain people are not important to anyone. It wasn’t about making this action a long-term one, but about understanding what enables people to come together in a genuine encounter, what makes individuals open up to themselves and others, and what that changes in everyday life. We simply tried to draw out the significant points that could be used by others to reach out to everyone.

What has happened since?

N. G.: I remember lots of what the young people, today adults, have said. The first thing that several of them say is how proud they are of having written, of having shown what they were capable of, not on their own but together as a group. That’s still important in their lives. For me, that’s the main uniting force: to have experienced and created something beautiful together. I also remember what one of the young participants, who’s now studying social and domestic economics, said: "I don’t know why I would have chosen this work. It’s thanks to the [writing workshop] experience that I wanted to study it. And probably not with the same perspective as the others on my course. I think that it has given me this notion of equality between us."

Clearly it has opened doors. A collection of poems has been published. Exhibitions and gatherings have taken place in other schools, libraries and the University Institute for Teacher Training, etc. Several partnerships have been developed with the key actors, some of whom decided to continue working to give all children a successful education. A philosophy group has been created with members, notably from the Education Office, University Institute for Teacher Training, the University of Rennes II and the ATD Fourth World Movement. It has produced a DVD, accompanied by some training materials, on the theme: Families, school, and extreme poverty: untying the knots of incomprehension. It is intended for teachers, and distributed by the Regional Centre of Pedagogical Documents in France.

To order this book (in French) : www.editionsquartmonde.org