Hearts & Hopes: A new inter-cultural children’s voice project

Afternoon CFL readers,

Apologies for not writing sooner, September just flew by! However, we have many exciting stories to share with you from this summer!!!

Beginning with our CFL ambassador, Nola Ellen who set up new inter-cultural child voice project which aims to connect children living in England children seeking refuge and living in camps around the world. Hearts and Hopes builds on her existing refugee awareness sessions which she delivers to schools locally and nationally and have been particularly moved by the engagement of children in Leeds with this projects. Children from Holy Rosary and St Anne’s Primary School have recorded video messages of welcome and care, compassion and hope for child refugees. Watch the film here!

Children have written letters and cards, made pieces of art work, friendship bracelets and over 50 children’s shoe boxes have been filled with educational gifts from children to children. She has spent time personally delivering these messages to children who are stuck in Europe’s largest unofficial refugee camp in Calais known as ‘the jungle’ where over 900 children live without parents or carers, some as young as 8 years old, many of whom have immediate family members in the UK but the legal processes for reunification and extremely slow and expensive. A few weeks ago, Nola travelled to Lebanon, where she took the peace flags along with a special canvas filled with messages of care and hope, written by children who came to the Breeze events during the summer. There she delivered educational workshops with over 500 Syrian children displaced from home and living across 4 refugee camps as part of the brilliant work lead by a local NGO, project Amal ou Salam.

A special canvas filled with messages from hundreds of children at Breeze for Lebanon

Children with CFL team writing messages

Artwork by Holy Rosary for refugee camps in Calais

The team after decorating the children’s school in the jungle with heart shaped prayers from children in Leeds

Shoe box collection

Shoe box distribution

Nola will host a photo exhibition about Hearts and Hopes on October 10th at the West Yorkshire Playhouse to raise awareness at a wider level about the experiences of children living in exile and ways people can get involved to support and widen the reach of the Hearts and Hopes project.

Nola works as a freelance facilitator, specialising in child rights and child voice, she has worked as a front line practitioner with refugee and new migrant children for the last 14 years and she is delivers training sessions to schools and other groups and is currently working with child friendly leeds on some exciting new projects.

To follow more about Hearts and Hopes please connect with her on social media at: https://www.facebook.com/nolaellentraining/