Supportive Workshops for Mothers in Need
Donation protected
A writer and mother myself, I've been running writing groups and workshops for mothers since 2008 and have found them to be highly beneficial to mothers' well-being, self-esteem and sense of being supported. I now want to make this important work available to mothers who are particularly in need of support, working through a women's mental health charity and a centre for unemployed families. These charities are not able to fund the project, so I am asking for support from the wider community through this page. These workshops give mothers the opportunity to:
"¢ Reflect on their experiences of being a mother - both positive and negative, including birth stories
"¢ Create and strengthen an essential support network
"¢ Record their precious memories of motherhood
"¢ Deepen their connection to themselves and to other mothers by sharing their experiences through writing
"¢ (re)Discover their creative voices - often lost underneath the demands of day-to-day mothering. We explore different writing techniques and learn how to bring writing alive.
Most mom and baby/toddler groups are focused on the child, and there is little room given to the needs and feelings of the mother, who has been going through the biggest change of her life and needs listening and holding. With mothers more isolated in today's society than ever before, and postnatal depression affecting one out of seven mothers, we ignore these issues at the peril of mothers' mental well-being - and by extension, the well-being of their children. Studies have shown journalling and writing to have a positive effect on people's ability to cope with challenges, improving self-esteem and access to inner resources. Combined with the peer support of a group of other mothers, writing is very powerful indeed.
Here's what past participants have said:
"Inspiring, gentle, thought provoking, moving. I felt interesting and interested" - Gemma.
"It flowed so well - and got me thinking and exploring things that have been nagging at me for months. I even managed to reframe some negative ideas. I thought it was a great workshop and really well put together. It was so uplifting. I'd been finding my relationship with my eldest and the bickering between the kids so grueling. However a few of the writing exercises helped me to really focus on how well I know my kids and allowed me to see the beauty in them and the strength of our bond. Very healing stuff, in a very subtle, gentle way. Go!" - Crimson, Brighton.
"Morgan's writing workshops are a huge inspiration to me as a mother wanting to find creative ways to capture and remember precious moments of life with my daughter. As well as offering an array of writing techniques to explore, Morgan creates a uniquely warm, wonderful, accepting space for reflecting on and sharing experiences of motherhood that is quite precious in itself." "“ Marianne Sawford.
"Morgan created a welcoming and supportive space to reflect on our journey as mothers in a unique way. For me, it was a chance to capture some of those precious moments with my baby on the page and explore some of the more difficult changes taking place." - Layla
"The mothers' writing workshop was a friendly and supportive space to explore and reflect on both the joy and difficulties of motherhood." "“ L, from Brighton.
At the workshops, I guide participants through simple 'free writing' exercises to help them investigate and share what being a mother means to you. Pre-walking babies welcome, tea & biscuits provided, and some creche facilities available.
For more on me and what I do, see http://morgancnichols.wordpress.com/
Mother of a 6 year old boy, I am a freelance writer and poet currently working on a non-fiction book about topics related to motherhood. Writing has literally been my saving grace during the early years of motherhood, giving me a tool to support myself through the enormous changes and keep my creative spirit alive. I first ran a mothers' writing workshop when my son was 8 months old, then created a weekly mothers' writing group. In January 2013 I started a monthly drop-in mothers' writing workshop in Lewes, East Sussex. I have worked with women, and mothers in particular, over several years in roles including peer supporter and Breastfeeding Counsellor. I have a qualification in Psychology and counselling training and experience.
£300 will allow me to run six sessions for mothers in need @ £50 per session. It will cover the costs of printing fliers, my travel (since I live in a different town to where the workshops will be running), materials, and give me a nominal contribution to cover my own time in both promoting and running the sessions, and the use of my skills and experience, as a single mother who needs to support her own child.
"¢ Reflect on their experiences of being a mother - both positive and negative, including birth stories
"¢ Create and strengthen an essential support network
"¢ Record their precious memories of motherhood
"¢ Deepen their connection to themselves and to other mothers by sharing their experiences through writing
"¢ (re)Discover their creative voices - often lost underneath the demands of day-to-day mothering. We explore different writing techniques and learn how to bring writing alive.
Most mom and baby/toddler groups are focused on the child, and there is little room given to the needs and feelings of the mother, who has been going through the biggest change of her life and needs listening and holding. With mothers more isolated in today's society than ever before, and postnatal depression affecting one out of seven mothers, we ignore these issues at the peril of mothers' mental well-being - and by extension, the well-being of their children. Studies have shown journalling and writing to have a positive effect on people's ability to cope with challenges, improving self-esteem and access to inner resources. Combined with the peer support of a group of other mothers, writing is very powerful indeed.
Here's what past participants have said:
"Inspiring, gentle, thought provoking, moving. I felt interesting and interested" - Gemma.
"It flowed so well - and got me thinking and exploring things that have been nagging at me for months. I even managed to reframe some negative ideas. I thought it was a great workshop and really well put together. It was so uplifting. I'd been finding my relationship with my eldest and the bickering between the kids so grueling. However a few of the writing exercises helped me to really focus on how well I know my kids and allowed me to see the beauty in them and the strength of our bond. Very healing stuff, in a very subtle, gentle way. Go!" - Crimson, Brighton.
"Morgan's writing workshops are a huge inspiration to me as a mother wanting to find creative ways to capture and remember precious moments of life with my daughter. As well as offering an array of writing techniques to explore, Morgan creates a uniquely warm, wonderful, accepting space for reflecting on and sharing experiences of motherhood that is quite precious in itself." "“ Marianne Sawford.
"Morgan created a welcoming and supportive space to reflect on our journey as mothers in a unique way. For me, it was a chance to capture some of those precious moments with my baby on the page and explore some of the more difficult changes taking place." - Layla
"The mothers' writing workshop was a friendly and supportive space to explore and reflect on both the joy and difficulties of motherhood." "“ L, from Brighton.
At the workshops, I guide participants through simple 'free writing' exercises to help them investigate and share what being a mother means to you. Pre-walking babies welcome, tea & biscuits provided, and some creche facilities available.
For more on me and what I do, see http://morgancnichols.wordpress.com/
Mother of a 6 year old boy, I am a freelance writer and poet currently working on a non-fiction book about topics related to motherhood. Writing has literally been my saving grace during the early years of motherhood, giving me a tool to support myself through the enormous changes and keep my creative spirit alive. I first ran a mothers' writing workshop when my son was 8 months old, then created a weekly mothers' writing group. In January 2013 I started a monthly drop-in mothers' writing workshop in Lewes, East Sussex. I have worked with women, and mothers in particular, over several years in roles including peer supporter and Breastfeeding Counsellor. I have a qualification in Psychology and counselling training and experience.
£300 will allow me to run six sessions for mothers in need @ £50 per session. It will cover the costs of printing fliers, my travel (since I live in a different town to where the workshops will be running), materials, and give me a nominal contribution to cover my own time in both promoting and running the sessions, and the use of my skills and experience, as a single mother who needs to support her own child.
Organizer
Morgan Nichols
Organizer
