Kids’ Own new project has kicked off in collaboration with Scoil Iosa in Ballina, Mayo. This initiative brings together children from Traveller and other communities to share and explore their family histories. Remarkably, among the participants, twelve pupils have great-grandparents! Facilitated by associate writers Mary Branley and Sarah O’Keeffe, alongside artist Alice Dixon, the sessions promise to be both enlightening and engaging. Reflecting on the session, Sarah shared her insights:

“On April 19^th we were delighted to return to Scoil Iosa, Ballina for our first session with the 5^th class students. Both Mary and Alice were greeted with warm hugs and welcomes from the 6^th class students from last year’s workshops and exhibition. There was a great sense of excitement amongst the group, an overall eagerness to be creative! The session began with a light meditation session lead by Alice. The students were invited to lie down on cosy mats and blankets and imagine their favourite place whilst listening to beautiful music. They were invited to think about places that could be real or fictional, it could be with friends and family or by themselves, but it was their place and whatever they loved most. After the meditation the students began to create the place they envisioned in the format of watercolour and pastel artwork. The results were beautiful, ranging from ocean sunsets, mystical forests, to football fields. The students at Scoil Iosa have a tremendous amount of talent and creativity, we look forward to seeing what the future sessions have in store!”

Mary also added ” Our new book project got underway with fifth class last week. After a short guided meditation the children got started on beautiful watercolor paintings of a special place, real or imagined. Oceans, forests, sunsets, and more emerged in no time. I’m looking forward to all the stories related to these landscapes.”

As the project unfolds, there’s a growing sense of excitement with more sessions still ahead. We will be publishing a book at the end of the project filled with the vibrant artwork by the participants. Keep and eye out for updates as this inspiring journey continues.

This project is kindly funded by National Museum of Ireland, Ballina 300 and Mayo North East.