TOOLS
WRITESHOPA writeshop is a participatory workshop method that brings individuals together in a creative writing session. Participants engage in various guided writing exercises and share their stories with each other. Together they reflect on their experiences.
WHAT?
Structured writing workshop where individuals engage in writing exercises, share their stories, and reflect on their experiences.
WHY?
To facilitate the exchange of lived experiences, insights, and intangible knowledge. To foster personal reflection, empathy, and understanding. And to gain deeper learnings, build stronger communities, address social inequalities, and promote collective action.
HOW?
- Through a combination of creative writing exercises, feedback loops, dialogue rounds, and embodied and listening exercises.
- Creating a safe and inclusive space for participants to express themselves and learn from one another.
- Guided by facilitators who support and guide the writing process.
RESULTS
- A collection of written works or art products capturing diverse perspectives and knowledge.
- Increased personal growth, empathy, and understanding among participants.
- Documentation for advocacy, informing future actions, and raising awareness about social issues.
PROJECTS
The writeshop method creates a space for collective learning and amplifying marginalized voices. This versatile method is employed in various contexts, such as community development, social justice movements, education, and research. It enables knowledge sharing, personal reflection, deeper learning, community building, and advocacy.
Writing journey
The writeshop begins by establishing a safe and inclusive space for participants, providing writing exercises and prompts to stimulate individual reflection and expression. Through dialogue rounds, feedback loops, and listening exercises, deeper understanding and connections are fostered. Facilitators guide and support participants throughout the writing journey, ensuring a collaborative and empowering experience.
At the end of a writeshop, a collection of written works represents the diverse perspectives, experiences, and knowledge of the participants, often on a shared theme or topic. These pieces capture personal stories, reflections, insights, and aspirations, serving as tangible outputs for informing future actions, fostering dialogue, promoting learning, and advocating for social change. The writeshop method adds value by creating a space for self-expression, learning, and meaningful connections.
“The power I believe in most is the power to dare to be vulnerable. I think we have achieved this. Writing is one of the most vulnerable things we do. It was very safe. Impressive. Instead of spoken words, we used written words.” (quote from a participant)
Foundation
The writeshop method was developed by the Barefoot Guide Connection, building on the contributions of practitioners and facilitators in participatory learning and action research. It has become a powerful process for personal growth, community mobilization, and knowledge sharing, empowering individuals and promoting positive change.
Inspirational surroundings and participants
At Perspectivity, since 2021, we have been experimenting with the process both in terms of design and context. We have employed this method as a literary reflection tool based on a book or a novel, while other times we produced an art product instead of a written product. The writeshop was held in different settings such as a park, at a cozy office and in meeting rooms. Our invited writers were people from all walks of life who were either drawn to the topic or the process idea. Yet, they all left with a deeper connection, sparkle and sometimes magic.
“This is one of the dearest processes to my heart. I see participants go from confusion and tension to openness and creation. I see them listening to one another truly and sharing abundantly. And I think in a subtle way this is where the power of the writeshop lies: what it brings out of the person to the world. And through this process of written creation, other forms of creation come to life as well: creating intimacy, empathy, togetherness …” (Nohad Elhajj, Perspectivity)
More information?
- Visit the Barefoot Guide Connection website.
- Contact us to discuss opportunities for facilitating a writeshop in your context.
Exploring Flavors and Dimensions: A Creative Journey through Writeshops in the Netherlands
Imagine tasting through writing? How might that feel and be like? Sara and Nohad invited participants for a mini-writeshop to explore the dimensions of one’s life through flavors.
Loss and Feminist Legacy Creative Workshop
A literary reflection creative workshop was organized for open a space to engage and reflect collectively, slowly, and intimately with the overarching theme of the book, Feminist Legacies.
Mini Writeshop workshop in the park
As part of a local festival with the aim to change the narrative about the line that used to divide Beirut during the civil war, a mini Writeshop workshop was organized in the park under the theme “Dealing with the Past”.
Our Stories of Change – Writeshop Workshop in Lebanon
We partnered with the Knowledge Workshop, a lebanese feminist organisation, to facilitate a writeshop workshop in Lebanon for women and transpeople.
The intention of the writeshop was to amplify the role of women and transpeople in shaping personal and collective changes.
KW and Perspectivity in collaboration with the participants will be working together to publish the stories written in the near future.
Complexity Writeshop 2019
‘For the love of Complexity’ – what does it make you think about? What experiences with complexity do you have? How does complexity play out in your life or your work? At Perspectivity, we love to embrace complexity of all sorts. We like to learn about complexity, not...
Our toolbox
In our work, we use a broad range of methodologies and approaches that lean on decades of experimental research. We gratefully build on the theories and concepts developed by our teachers and colleagues. To achieve sustainable results, we determine which method fits every project best.
Methods we frequently use: