Practical ways poetry connects people
Never Such Innocence - giving children and young people a voice on conflict
Never such innocence,
Never before or since,
As changed itself to past
Without a word - the men
Leaving the gardens tidy,
The thousands of marriages,
Lasting a little while longer:
Never such innocence again.
Poem © By kind permission of Faber & Faber
This final stanza of Philip Larkin’s MCMXIV is fitting inspiration for a charity that seeks to offer creative solace to children impacted by war. Never Such Innocence is a charity that began as part of events designed to mark the centenary of the of the First World War. The project gathered artwork from 11,000 young people across 47 countries, territories, and dependencies. Children created art, poems, speeches and songs to relate their experience and the impact of war. Never Such Innocence expanded its locus, and to date children from over 125 countries have recanted their experience of conflict throughout history and the present day.
Workshops and Roadshows hosted by Never Such Innocence
The charity uses a combination of workshops, roadshows, and competitions to give a vehicle for children to express their thoughts and feelings about war. I talk a lot about the fact that poetry connects people, and initiatives like these are an example of how this works on the ground. Will, Director of Programmes for the Never Such Innocence, describes the workshops as opening a door for expression – there is no obligation to step through, but the possibility of sharing experience with others who have some level of congruence is undoubtedly powerful.
Never Such Innocence harnesses the talent of creative professionals to deliver workshops in poetry, art, speech and song writing. The work that emerges is skilled and moving. My intention was to feature some of the poems from the 2022-23 competition winners booklet, but honestly it’s impossible to pick out just two or three. The work in this book is crucial to understanding the impact of war on children, families, and our futures. It needs to be read widely and frequently. You can read it here Conversations on Conflict – What does war mean to you?
As well as allowing for creative expression, these workshops allow children to create something they can feel proud of. The work created is celebrated at polished events and roadshows that are designed to demonstrate the value of children’s voices and showcase their talent. A recent event in Rutland, held as part of the Voices of Armed Forces Children Programme was attended by Dawn Godfrey, strategic director for children and family services in Rutland. Here’s her take on the event.
KAW : How does NSI support children in Rutland?
DG: Rutland has one of the largest communities of armed forces children - both with currently serving parents and veterans. NSI have been doing a range of workshops with our schools to give children and young people a voice and opportunity to express their feelings about what it feels like to be a 'military child' using art, poetry, speech and song writing. It also acts as a reminder and challenge to the wider Rutland community and services that this group of children have specific and different needs which we all need to understand and appreciate. This helps us to design and deliver better services.
KAW:What happens during a roadshow? What was your highlight?
DG:The roadshows are a brilliant way to showcase the work of our children and young people and gives them a platform to share their work ensuring they feel important and valued. It also brings key decision makers in the County together to hear directly from children and young people and gives them an opportunity to challenge adults thinking and help adults make better informed decisions - this year’s event was attended by the local MP, Council Chief Executive and High Sheriff of Rutland amongst others!
The highlight though is always hearing from and interacting with the children and young people. They are brave, honest, and funny, and the insights they share into their lives can be very humbling.
KAW:Tell me more about how poetry helps military children explore their emotions.
DG:Poetry allows children to express themselves freely without rules. This freedom and creative approach can help children to express their feelings in a way that can feel less threatening and allows them to share what they are feeling without having to 'say' how they are feeling. This really helps children's emotional wellbeing and helps the adults in their lives support them better.
KAW:Are there any poems that stand out in particular for you?
DG:The 'Reflections on Ukraine' are very powerful and thought provoking.
Do you have a particular poem you turn to when times are rough? I don't have a particular poem but have a couple of anthologies which I like to go to including The Emergency Poet:An anti-stress poetry anthology by the Deborah Alma of the fabulous Poetry Pharmacy.
Expression is essential
Talking with Dawn, and Katie Salari,CEO of Never Such Innocence, it’s clear that this charity plays an important role in supporting children who experience the trauma of war. The frustration is that this charity and the way it uses the arts is not more widely known.
The value and importance of the arts is less and less recognised. Who can forget this ad campaign
The role of poetry, art, music, dance and other creative endeavours is crucial to our understanding of what it means to be human and to our ability to navigate the horrors the world throws at us. The idea that the arts are “not for me” pervades everyday culture and until this balance shifts, it’s down to charities like Never Such Innocence to create space for creative expression for some of those who need it most.
Using the arts in every day life creates space for expression that is not monetised and exists purely for its own self. We each have a responsibility to work to increase the accessibility and reach of the arts, to promote healing, and enable the creation of work with meaning and impact.
If you would like to learn more about the work of NSI or participate in one of their activities, please visit: neversuchinnocence.com