New Porridge & Play Hubs!

in Castlemilk & the East End

7th September 2021

We are thrilled to announce that Licketyspit has been funded by the New Scots Integration Fund to set up two new Porridge & Play Hubs in Glasgow! 

Porridge & Play Hubs – Castlemilk & East End will be delivered in partnership with Storyplay Champion partners, parents/carers and children from these communities, with open sessions starting in the new year.

The project has been designed in consultation with the Licketyspit Children & Families Network and draws on Licketyspit’s highly successful and well-evaluated intergenerational imaginary play project Big Porridge & Play Glasgow.

We chose Castlemilk and the East End for this expansion because of the high numbers of asylum-seeking families living in and around these areas who have joined Licketyspit’s Porridge & Play Online sessions and further, because of the enthusiasm of our local partners to learn about and use Licketyspit’s Storyplay approach.

Thank you very much for the opportunity to learn and play with my child. It has been a magical experience.

Parent, Big Porridge & Play Glasgow

They’re like your best friends

Child, 7, Big Porridge & Play Glasgow

Like a big family round a table!

Child, 8, Big Porridge & Play Glasgow

Don’t know where we’d be without this…no one’s judging there’s lots of acceptance, feels like we’re being brought into the community.

Carer, Big Porridge & Play Glasgow

We learned a lot of new games and we keep on playing them during daytime as well and we both enjoy it. We are from Azerbaijan and we have not had chance to go there since long time and whenever we want to go we use this Magic Ball. That was a good idea!

Mum, Big Porridge & Play Online

It’s just being able to play with the children. You the adult, being the child you want to be, cause it brings out that child in you.

Mum, Big Porridge & Play Glasgow

My daughter is so engrossed, she needs her session every Wednesday. Before she was shy but now she can stand up before the crowd!

Mum, Big Porridge & Play Online

The project is very good. It brings community together. Everyone is benefited with the cross-culture learnings & spending time with their kids.

Guest, Scottish Refugee Council, Big Porridge & Play Glasgow

Opening doors to imaginary playworlds to unlock the limitless possibilities of children!

Delivering children’s rights through play!

Supporting families, championing inclusion!

Licketyspit hopes these two new Porridge & Play Hubs will develop into popular and long-lasting cultural assets to support integration, children’s rights and family relationships in the East End and Castlemilk!

We are therefore involving partners and local Storyplay Champion parents, carers and children who already play with Licketyspit, from the very start of the project.

Please note that the in-person sessions in the East End will take place in Cranhill and Bridgeton. Some will take place in local parks too. The project runs until September 2022 (reporting in October 2022).

How to get involved

Be a Storyplay Champion – families

We’re looking for parents, carers and children who’ve come to Porridge & Play before and live in these communities and would like to:

1 – take part in Storyplay Champion training
2 – help us make a film
3 – then help us run the sessions in the new Hubs.
Travel expenses will be provided if needed for in-person sessions.

Storyplay Champion training will be for 4 weeks around October/November and then the Hubs will launch next February.

So, tell us if you’re interested in being a Storyplay Champion on this project👇

Contact us

Be a Storyplay Champion – professionals

Licketyspit invites all local children & families professionals, teachers, CLD, ELC, youth workers and other professionals to an online introductory presentation on Tuesday 5th October 6.30-8pm to find out more about the Hubs project and how you could get involved as a Storyplay Champion.

Storyplay Champion professionals will co-host the sessions alongside the Licketyspit Actor-Pedagogues and Storyplay Champion families. This means they will take part in free training in the Storyplay approach (8 weeks) led by our Artistic Director, and help shape the project.

In the introductory session we will share examples of Licketyspit Storyplay in action (including a short film),  then lead some Storyplay games for you to participate in and finally explain the methodology of our approach. There will also be a Q&A and we and our local partners would love to hear your ideas and feedback about the best way to take this project forward together.

If you are based in Castlemilk or the East End and would like more information, please email Ruby on cfn@licketyspit.com or give us a ring on 07413 800 342.

Download the Introduction to the Project Booklet

Register for the Introductory event 👇

Register

Read a blog from Big Porridge & Play:

Big Porridge & Play Gorbals Week 7

June 26th, 2019|Comments Off on Big Porridge & Play Gorbals Week 7

13th June 2019 Our last session at the St Francis Centre was a wonderful celebration of what Porridge & Play can be, with families bringing countless delicious things to share in the meal, guests dressing [...]

Hear from families & professionals: