Now in its fourth year, The Women’s Voices Project, (run by Changing Relations ) was born out of the One Billion Rising events which took place in 2013 & 2014 to challenge the prevalence of violence against women and girls. We have since organised and delivered a number creative events aimed to empower women on a participatory level and enable women survivors of domestic abuse (DA) across County Durham to shape a performance representative of their experiences.
Changing Relations C.I.C. is an arts education company that provokes thinking on gender & relationships, using the arts & creative methods as the basis of our training & educational resources.
The Women’s Voices Project works collaboratively with creative practitioners living and working across the North East of England alongside community participants. Our work to date has involved story-sharing sessions & arts for well being workshops that enable us to create public performances that raise awareness of the true nature of Domestic abuse (DA).
Our work has been recognised and celebrated on a local and international platform, after we were invited by the S&D groups FEMM committee to present our play; Make do & Mend, to an audience in European Parliament in 2015 helping us to secure additional funding to tour the play with an accompanying training workshop during a 2016 Autumn tour. Follow this link to hear about our work on DA with Gentoo.
Our latest project calls to ask women to examine attitudes of Shame and Honour towards women’s bodies and sexuality through creative writing, visual art workshops and dance performance – culminating in a dance showcase with professional dancers in partnership with Dance City, Newcastle. To find out more about this current project contact Project Manager and Creative Director Alys North: alys@changingrelations.co.uk
Women we have worked with have said how important is was to ‘feel heard’ and that someone was taking ‘their voices and opinions seriously’. By creating public performances and delivering drama based workshops with local schools and offering training to local housing associations, health professionals and perpetrators; we aim to encourage communities to challenge unacceptable behaviours and support and listen to vulnerable women in their midst.
If you would like to know more about any of our projects past or present or if you would be interested in booking our training and workshops related to Domestic Abuse and Relationship and Sex Education – please visit our main company website: www.changingrelations.co.uk
thewomensvoicesproject 