Northern Ireland Supermom Training, Weeks 1 and 2

A Few Words from the Tutor and Trainees

By: Grace Sweeney (Supermom Training Officer) with input from several trainees

The training in Belfast began on the 17^th October. The group is comprised of 13 members that meet three times a week. Here they are (most of them)!

The training has got off to a great start, and the group has already developed some ideas for their script. The first week we mostly concentrated on story and story telling and looked at the themes and types of filmmaking that we wanted to develop further. Chris Baugh, a screenwriter, came in to give us more insight into writing scripts, and that was really helpful. We also spent some time on deciding what the overall “look” of our film should be, and worked as a group through creative exercises to establish what aesthetics we found interesting.

This week, we looked at these details more and the group built on their technical knowledge. We also took a trip up the street to the Crescent Arts Centre, where Sarah Dylan led us in a workshop about drama and movement. As you can see by the photos, we had a great time!

 Creating a tableau...

I asked the trainees for some feedback about how the course is going for them so far, so here are their thoughts.

One of the trainees says: "It is amazing how the group has come together so quickly. It is really difficult trying to come up with a script that 13 people can agree on, but everyone is very cooperative and there are no ego battles [...] It has been very challenging to put myself in new, slightly uncomfortable situations, like the drama workshop and collaborative scriptwriting sessions, but it has been very interesting and I've learned more about myself and about teamwork and building connections."

Another trainee adds that she is "really enjoying the Supermom project. Our facilitator, Grace, is really friendly, approachable and knowledgeable, and the group is enthusiastic and very open. One thing I might have liked though, is if maybe the name could be more inclusive, so that the course would appear open to all single parents [rather than only appealing to women]."

The whole group is working hard, and we are all really looking forward to next week, which will include a trip to the Ulster Museum to learn about artistic composition. We'll keep you posted! In the meantime, check the Supermom Facebook page for updates of all the Supermom training courses in the other countries!


For more about the Supermom Transfer of Innovation Project, please see http://www.supermom-kick-off.eu/