Providing Imagination and Hope
Locked behind more than five steel doors, offenders are left with the story of what was and the bleak story of now. A story that includes tomorrow falls distant from what becomes an ever-fading imagination. Through the use of creative story project techniques, staff of Ellilta: More for Her meet each week with these women and focus on learning to see what can be true outside the walls of prison.
We tell stories and they are fun. The stories get out of hand sometimes as we disagree how the antagonist will make his or her next move. A black and white photo of two kids on a sandy beach ended up with inmates seeing brilliant blue-green waves, colorful mermaids, and a calming visualization of where to go mentally when conflict floods their body. All the stories push the women to reframe the way they think about their ability to grasp hope and create options.
These options for the women come in various categories. They relate to dealing with conflict in the daily proximity of their secure but crowded location. Options begin to move beyond the walls as women apply them to their family situations and hope for change when they get out. Many are applying these concepts and learn that when temptation comes options are also available. They are no longer stuck with the way it has always been.
More than anything, the stories grant the value of a role. These women are becoming artists of oral storytelling. They have a role, a place, value, and a story. We tell our stories and hear the stories of others, then compassion and confidence grows. Every week, I leave the confines of this dark place covered in the light of their growing imagination and hope.
Ellilta: More for Her is a project of Ellilta International and seeks freedom and restoration for exploited women. For more information, see www.moreforher.org or www.ellilta.org. Or visit Creative Story Project for the creative story vision.
We tell stories and they are fun. The stories get out of hand sometimes as we disagree how the antagonist will make his or her next move. A black and white photo of two kids on a sandy beach ended up with inmates seeing brilliant blue-green waves, colorful mermaids, and a calming visualization of where to go mentally when conflict floods their body. All the stories push the women to reframe the way they think about their ability to grasp hope and create options.
These options for the women come in various categories. They relate to dealing with conflict in the daily proximity of their secure but crowded location. Options begin to move beyond the walls as women apply them to their family situations and hope for change when they get out. Many are applying these concepts and learn that when temptation comes options are also available. They are no longer stuck with the way it has always been.
More than anything, the stories grant the value of a role. These women are becoming artists of oral storytelling. They have a role, a place, value, and a story. We tell our stories and hear the stories of others, then compassion and confidence grows. Every week, I leave the confines of this dark place covered in the light of their growing imagination and hope.
Ellilta: More for Her is a project of Ellilta International and seeks freedom and restoration for exploited women. For more information, see www.moreforher.org or www.ellilta.org. Or visit Creative Story Project for the creative story vision.
