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ProgrammesBased upon her extensive repertoire of stories, Janet can create a programme to meet your needs. These programmes could include for example: For more details on any of the story programmes please click on the links above, or scroll down this page. To discuss your requirements please contact Janet using one of the methods identified on the Contact page.
Stories are one of the first ways that we learn,
teach, and enjoy ourselves. They can make the impossible possible, transport you
anywhere, and around the corner you may meet ANYTHING…… Locations for performance telling include museums, galleries, community centres, festivals, libraries, art centres, theatres, literary events/festivals, cultural centres, gardens, parks, historical buildings, etc., etc. Janet has a number of set performances and can develop programmes to meet your needs and special interests. Programmes can be tailored to a wide range of subjects and audience ages, including themed stories, stories for adults, multi-cultural stories, stories in support of community development projects, stories relating to historical buildings or even as an after dinner speaker to entertain your guests after a good meal and a few drinks! Each Storytelling performance lasts between 40 minutes and one hour. Set Performances could include for example:
Talks and Storytelling Based upon her extensive knowledge and repertoire of stories, Janet can integrate stories into talks. Typical programmes include:
From King Lear to Cinderella - tracing the path of the glass slipper. Myths, tales and legend in Harry Potter (uncovering the traditional tales that J. K. Rowling uses).
Janet tells a variety of stories from around the world to children in schools libraries and hospitals. In addition to telling stories in an educational environment in support of the National Curriculum, Janet can tailor programmes to improve speaking, listening and memory skills as well as developing children's confidence in society. All programmes are aimed to be interesting, inspiring, educational and entertaining. The National Curriculum document for English stresses the importance of "the development of pupils understanding of the spoken world and the capacity to express themselves effectively in a variety of speaking and listening activities". Listening to and retelling stories is ideal for
the development of these vital skills and can be used in many subject areas.
Janet has an MA in Children's Literature, and uses storytelling to support
children in accessing children's literature. Janet can develop programmes of stories to complement the themes being explored - for example "water", "trees", "insects", "justice", "bullying" etc.. Other themes could include the Tales of Shakespeare or the retellings of the classic myths and legends of the Greeks, Romans, Vikings, Celts etc., or retellings of other myths, legends and stories from around the world. She works with children purely on an oral basis so that they learn how to make a story and then learn how to tell it, helping them to develop self confidence and self esteem, without the pressure of "being good at writing". Janet also works in hospitals with children recovering from brain injury, telling them stories and helping them create their own stories.
Stories are not only for children. Most stories can be enjoyed by both children and adults and programmes can be tailored to be inspiring to a wide range of ages, from 6 to 106. However specific adult orientated programmes can also be provided. Janet has a collection of stories, which are not suitable for children. These cover themes that adults will empathise with - stories of love, death, domestic strife, moral dilemmas, and ribald humour. Plus the usual favourites!
Stories for Children and Adults with Special Needs Janet has over 20 years experience as a psychiatric social worker working with adults in groups and for individual counselling. She has used stories to support the therapeutic process and personal development of people with mental health problems and is very clear about the boundaries. If you want to know more about her work as a therapeutic storyteller CLICK HERE. Janet is currently the storyteller in residence at The Children's Trust in Tadworth, Surrey. She works with children with profound and multiple learning and physical difficulties, and children recovering from brain damage. The storytelling programs are tailored to the individual children and class groups. In this setting she uses puppets and focuses on multi sensory storytelling to maximize the benefit to the child. Janet also regularly works in Christophers at the Chase Hospice for children. Janet has worked with the Haringey City Learning Centre to run Storytelling Apprentice workshops for school children for whom English is a second language, funded by the Haringey Children's Fund. This was very successful, and teachers reported that the children found more confidence in having a voice and participating in mainstream classes. These workshops have also been successfully repeated in other schools across London. Janet has worked with groups of adults with learning disabilities using storytelling, and in particular with one group when addressing the issues on bereavement. Janet welcomes the opportunity to discuss with service users and professionals how her storytelling performances, workshops and discussion groups can support adults and children with special needs, and the people who support them. Storytelling Programmes can be developed to meet the needs of the health care services, for example in hospitals and hospices. Research has shown that listening to stories can help them relax and reduce tension, as well as helping people to use stories to explore some of the issues in their own lives. Janet has been awarded a Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Fellowship to travel to the US in Autumn 2006 to study the use of Storytelling in the Care of the Dying and Bereaved. She welcomes opportunities to develop projects.
Stories for Mental Health Promotion Janet has over twenty years experience as a psychiatric social worker working with adults and children. Janet is therefore well qualified to identify the needs and develop a programme to meet the specific needs for mental health promotion in your establishment. She has an MA in Children's Literature where she looked at how mental illness was represented in Children's Literature and in traditional folk tales. She has contributed an article to the BookTrusted website on current representation of mental illness in Children's Literature. In addition Janet has done an in depth analysis of depression in Harry Potter, and how that can be used to support children and young people with mental health problems. Janet can develop programmes to promote mental health in schools and other environments using folk tales and children's literature.
Stories and related role playing games have been used in organisations for many years as training aids. Janet works as a management consultant and uses stories in her work to help businesses and teams explore the nature of their work, and how it can be improved. Janet's experience in the management of health and social care service provisions places her in a unique position to develop a programme for your organisation.
Everybody has stories to tell. Janet can run workshops to help children and adults realise their potential as storytellers with practical experience of listening, memory and telling technique.Half day, full day and multi-day programmes can be provided for the beginner to develop the initial skills to be able to learn and tell their stories, or for the more experienced storyteller to develop specific aspects of their storytelling skill. These can be done completely on an oral basis without the pressure of "being good at writing". The Storyteller Apprentice workshops are suitable for either adults or children. They run for a morning or an afternoon a week, for 6 weeks, for up to 15 participants. They work best if a class of 30 is split into 2 groups - one for the morning, and one for the afternoon. They learn the basic skills of story structure, storyboarding, vocal skills, and performance skills. Experience shows that participants gain confidence in both creating and speaking skills, and in past groups teachers have found that even the quietest member of class joins in enthusiastically!
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