Bootcamp Community Spotlight: Theatre, self-care and solidarity networks

This month we are sharing more brilliant things our community have been doing to create moments of solidarity, self-care and community online during this time. Have a look and enjoy!

Listen: Bootcamp graduate Siana’s new play, ‘Layila!’ 

‘Layila!’, by Bootcamp graduate Siana is the story of Aminata, a 15-year-old Sierra Leonean-British kid living in South London with her family.

Following the sudden death of her grandmother, the family’s world is shaken. One night, grandma comes back from the afterlife with a final request for Aminata and so begins a coming-of-age adventure, exploring the delights of Freetown and uncovering personal – and political – histories.

‘Layila!’ was first performed on stage at the Birmingham Rep Theatre in June 2019 and November 2019. The audio edition of this play has been written and directed by Siana Bangura.

Listen to the play here!

If you want to get your story out there and try out playwriting yourself, check out Soho Theatre’s upcoming writing classes (discounted tickets available), or check out the Royal Court’s writing exercises here.

Read: Self-care tips to overcome eco-anxiety 

Bootcamp trainer Karen wrote a blog for the Southbank Centre this month, focused on ways to cope with rising feelings of anxiety about climate change, which may have been exacerbated during this pandemic.

She says: “In moments of distress and despair, I take refuge in my spiritual practice which helps me to declutter my mind, focus on the present moment, and connect with my inner power. I enjoy using oracle cards for guidance, increased clarity and a deeper connection with my intuition. 

To help me come up with six things to help me to move through the overwhelm of eco-anxiety and exacerbated by the current global pandemic, I drew six cards from The Divine Feminine Oracle deck by bestselling author, feminist theologian and meditation teacher Meggan Watterson. This card deck reveals wisdom from goddesses and inspiring women from the world’s religions and spiritual traditions. May the insights contained in these cards give you the nourishment, inspiration and guidance they gave me.”

Read the full article here!

Connect: The Resilience Fund: Mutual Survivors Support Collective

Bootcamp graduate Bryony, co-founder of The Resilience Fund, has started up a new project focused on creating a network for survivors of domestic and sexual violence to give and get support, solidarity and connection.

The collective will link up survivors with each other, to find ways of supporting one another. The project aims at creating connections between survivors and building strength and resilience collectively, in non-hierarchical ways. You can find out more here.

The Resilience Fund is a project which provides a fund for survivors of sexual violence to choose their own support to recover, access treats, things for self-care, and have a break. They offer mini grants and loans which they fundraise for entirely through independent fundraisers and donations. You can donate to support survivors through the project here, and apply for a grant or nominate somebody here.