AND THERE IN THE DARKNESS SHE SAW A WORLD FULL OF LIGHT
BEING THE LIGHT Festival of Care 19th - 23rd February 2021 BEING THE LIGHT Festival of Care
It is our great pleasure to invite you to BEING THE LIGHT an exciting long weekend of events beaming out across Scotland from the 2nd Shetland Festival of Care. BEING THE LIGHT is hosted by Who Cares? Scotland and the #ShetlandCrew, a group of Care Experienced young leaders who are joined by their peers across the country.
Celebrations of light are traditional at this time of year; fireworks, bonfires and beacons, the burning of Clavie, barrel and ball. In Shetland our communities are usually set ablaze for Up Helly Aa as squads brandish torches and burn Viking galleys across the Isles. This year as Covid-19 impacts on our social existence, our care experienced young people are taking on the mantle and BEING THE LIGHT for their communities, lighting up the darkness and inviting us all to do the same.
Care Experienced young people know more than many about the isolation, fear and loss that have become familiar to all of us over the last months. The Festival gives us an opportunity to reflect on how we change that, how we can be brighter beacons, how we can support them to shine brightly. More than anything it is about our Care Experienced young people illuminating the way, bringing a bit of light to us all. It's all about our young people and the bright stars they are.
The Festival creates powerful opportunities to engage, explore and connect with care experience from a young person’s perspective through words, film, art, and interactive experience. It includes live and virtual events all of which can be joined from the warmth of your own home, online and via social media.
We invite everyone to make their own lighthouse for a Scotland-wide light up to celebrate National Care Day on Friday 19th Feb. Download our beautiful lighthouse resource created by artist Fran Sierevogel. Colour in, cut out and glue. Place a non flammable light inside and set in your window. Remember to share photos of your creation to our Who Cares? Scotland Facebook page. BEING THE LIGHT Festival of Care
Festival Highlights
The Festival opens with Care Flags being raised as part of the National Care Day celebrations on significant public buildings across the North of Scotland. Our live Festival opening will be supported by George Smith, Shetland Islands Councillor whilst online the Festival will be opened by Maree Todd, MSP.
BEING THE LIGHT features the work of the Home and Belonging project and its powerful collaboration between Care Experienced young people and acclaimed artists, poet Jen Hadfield, film maker Rozi Peters and theatre director Tony McBride.
After dark, striking works of art will light up public spaces in Shetland as words of care experienced young people are shone onto buildings in Lerwick, in a carefully curated sequence of texts or ‘Projectiles’. Award winning poet Jen Hadfield has been working with the #ShetlandCrew since 2019 developing their creative writing skills. The words shared during the Festival of Care, are a selection from these young writers’ powerful and growing collective body of work.
Nursery and Primary School children across Shetland, Orkney and the Western Isles are creating their own beautiful lighthouses.These will be displayed in the windows of local shops and community spaces.
The Festival includes an extensive programme of virtual events and free workshops for professionals, the Care Experienced community, carers and practitioners, exploring how we best support our Care Experienced children and young people. Book your spot via the Who Cares? Scotland Website.
Our host of expert facilitators include: Bruce Adamson (Children and Young People's Commissioner Scotland) Thomas Carlton (Project support Manager, The Promise Team) James Docherty, a leading voice on adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) Alongside leading voluntary youth sector organisations 42nd Street and the Hot Chocolate Trust and National funding organisation The Life Changes Trust BEING THE LIGHT Festival of Care 19th - 23rd February 2021
Programme Friday 19th Morning Flag Raising and breakfast Town Hall Midday Opening Event Online Afternoon Workshops for all Online
After dark Lighthouse Light up and Light Trail Lerwick Home and Belonging Projectiles Verbatim Theatre project We'll Eat with Isle Eat Saturday 20th After dark Lighthouse Lightup and Light Trail Lerwick Home and Belonging Projectiles Verbatim Theatre Project We'll Eat with Isle Eat Sunday 21st Daytime Sadly because of Covid-19 our active fun day for Care Experienced young people has had to be postponed. This will be run at the earliest possible opportunity at West Mainland Leisure Centre. 22nd and 23rd
Daytime and Workshops for all Online Evening
Evening 23rd Closing event Online