Bring the Power Inclusive Festival Day - 16th August 2024
An Intern’s Experience of the Festival.
Written by: Poppy Griffiths, Web Design and Arts Administration Intern
Assisting with the planning and delivery of the Bring the Power Festival Day was undoubtedly the highlight of my internship. It was a fantastic and inspiring day of community engagement and genuine joy. Throughout my day assisting with the running of the festival I was able to experience and observe a number of moments which I would like to share.
One of the activities on offer at the festival was an Indian music display and drumming session. It was a fantastic display of music and culture, but more importantly for me, it created one of the most beautiful moments of the day. Around 10 minutes into the session, one of the participants who had been watching from the audience decided that he wanted to get involved. The performers welcomed him onto the stage and they together began to sing in harmony, with the participant following the lead of the performer.
After this impromptu performance was over I was able to speak with the participant’s carer who told me that he had never before displayed any inclination towards singing, nor had he ever shown the confidence to stand up in a room full of people and begin to perform. She was amazed by his behaviour and credited the fact that he was familiar with his surroundings in the SAFS Community Centre, and also that the performers had been so welcoming and created such a safe space for him. For me, this perfectly highlights the significance of events like these. This participant has discovered a new activity that he would like to further pursue and was only able to do so because of the efforts of all of the organisers to make him feel safe and encouraged in the festival space. As someone who had never previously been involved with an event like this one, seeing the effect it has on SEND participants like this genuinely moved me and has excited me to get involved more in the future. After this impromptu performance was over I was able to speak with the participant’s carer who told me that he had never before displayed any inclination towards singing, nor had he ever shown the confidence to stand up in a room full of people and begin to perform. She was amazed by his behaviour and credited the fact that he was familiar with his surroundings in the SAFS Community Centre, and also that the performers had been so welcoming and created such a safe space for him.
For me, this perfectly highlights the significance of events like these. This participant has discovered a new activity that he would like to further pursue and was only able to do so because of the efforts of all of the organisers to make him feel safe and encouraged in the festival space. As someone who had never previously been involved with an event like this one, seeing the effect it has on SEND participants like this genuinely moved me and has excited me to get involved more in the future.
When planning an event like this the temptation might be to create a plan and timetable and stick to it firmly, what is so important though is realising that the best way to make participants and their families feel supported and encouraged is to let them guide the day to some extent. The impromptu boxing and sensory music session in the courtyard was exactly this. The musical performers from K’antu were about to start their sensory music session when they realised that many participants and young children at that time were interested in the boxing sessions happening next door. It is a testament to the talent and adaptability of the K’antu performers that they decided on the fly to adapt their sensory music session to take place outdoors alongside the boxing session. What followed was perhaps one of the most engaging workshops of the day, in which K’antu performers played rhythmic melodies which the participants then copied with their boxing gloves and instruments. Speaking to both participants and carers after the event, it was clear that this sensory boxing activity was extremely popular. I learnt a lot from this about how vital it is to be constantly engaged with your audience at events and be always open to adapting schedules to best fit the needs of the day and the participants.
We were fortunate enough at the festival day to be joined by the Birmingham 2022 mascot Perry the Bull. Perry mingled with participants and their carers and families throughout the day, lending his talents to some of the music workshops as well as dance and sport.
Being able to see the immediate joy that filled a space once Perry entered was lovely. Participants, carers, and parents alike flocked to Perry for a dance, a high five, a hug, or a photo and he truly filled the day with the sound of laughter. We were also lucky enough to have Paralympian Siobhan Fitzpatrick at the day and, like Perry, her impact on participants was electric. She helped to guide participants in sports activities, including encouraging some of them to play basketball with her in her wheelchair. Siobhan and Perry were the focal point of big group photos, never failing to energise and encourage the crowd. The event certainly would not have been the great success it was without their involvement and it was a pleasure to get to witness their contributions to the day.
At the start of the day, I manned the refreshments stand and information desk and I feel extremely fortunate to have done so, in retrospect. I was able to greet guests as they entered the centre and get to know each participant as they arrived. I had dozens of small glimpses into dozens of lives which helped me to connect with participants, and eased my nerves as someone who had never previously worked at an event like this. It was a joy to chat to participants and carers, handing out free drinks and merch which never failed to put a smile on everyone’s face.
The unfortunate and scary context of the day was of course the riots that had been going on in the days leading up to the 16th. Whilst we were all undeterred by the awful behaviour of a small minority, we could not take our attention away from the fact that there was a possibility that these events would limit numbers to the event, and lower the moods of those attending. We of course created contingencies and more detailed safety procedures because of this.
It was wonderful though that on the day itself, the atmosphere in the Community Centre was one of community and togetherness, whilst in the back of everybody’s minds was doubtless the horrible events of the prior weeks, the festival day provided a space in which to relax and feel safe. This to me just further hammered home the importance of the event and it was impossible to come away feeling anything other than utter joy for how well the day went, and how happy everyone looked when saying their goodbyes at the end of it.
As I have mentioned, I had never previously worked with people with special educational needs and disabilities and leading up to the event this made me quite nervous. I was unsure what challenges the day would pose and I did not feel entirely comfortable interacting with participants, solely down to lack of prior experience. The biggest thing I will take away from the day is that it served to combat the societal prejudices towards SEND people that I was not even aware that I had. Speaking to Ruth Hopkins after the event, she spoke of these prejudices that exist in society towards the disabled community and echoed my realisation that the best way to combat and counter these is to hold events like this one. I have come away from the event counting down the days until I can help out at the next one. It was a pleasure to see the joy that you can bring to SEND participants by creating a space in which they are able and encouraged to participate in music, sports, and dance and this experience will stick with me for a long time.