The Listening Stone Part 2: An Overview [Continued]
Since May 2023, we have been actively working in an IDP camp, where the majority of residents are families who fled from ISIS in 2014. We run a dramatherapy program for children age 4 - 14. The children look forward to this program every week as it provides them a safe space to have fun, be creative, and connect with each other.
This year, we launched the Listening Stone Program Part 2, a continuation of last year’s program. While some of the themes were similar to last year’s (dreams and hopes, facing fears, self-worth) some themes were new (working together, forgiveness, being crowned).
Week 6: Facing the Monster
For this session, we brought back the familiar character of No-Name, the orphan girl who finds a talking seashell called The Listening Stone. Most of the kids have journeyed with us for the past year and remember how No-Name receives a new name—Precious —from the Listening Stone.
The children were excited to hear a continuation of No-Name’s story in which she faces off with a monster who speaks words of intimidation and condemnation over her. Remembering what the Listening Stone had told her, she finds a sword and writes the words “I AM PRECIOUS” on it. With this sword, she is able to kill the monster.
As a drama activity, we brought back the popular obstacle course from Week 4. But this time, instead of ending with karate-style paper punch, each kid got to pop a balloon that represented “the Monster”.
To end the session, we asked every child to close their eyes and imagine what “the monster” was saying to them. Here are some of the things they shared:
You are not strong
You are not beautiful
No one loves you
Your brother is better than you
You have no name
You are stupid
You are dirty
You have no parents
You are not special
You are trash
Hearing these words was heartbreaking as it meant that from a young age, these children are already exposed to so many negative messages. However, when we then asked the children to ask the Listening Stone for words to write on their sword. We were delighted that the children were able to share affirming and encouraging words for themselves:
You are beautiful
You are strong
You are clean
You are beloved
You have a family
You are smart
You are a hero, son of a hero
You are precious
Week 7: The Book of Miracles
The following week, we encouraged the children to dream about their future by creating a book called “The Book of Miracles”. We told the story of No-Name going through a dark tunnel and climbing a tall mountain to get to her final destination - a beautiful garden filled with her friends. Our team members then took the time to help each child create their own book filled with words and drawings about their hopes and dreams.
It is poignant that this session took place during a time of uncertainty in these children’s lives. The federal government has announced that all IDP camps, including the one we work in, are to be closed this year. Many of these children’s families are going through a time of upheaval again and weighing major decisions.
Thankfully, many of these children retain a healthy capacity to dream about the future. Many of them drew pictures of houses filled with their beloved family members and friends. Some drew homes with gardens and some with cars. A few boys chose to illustrate No-Name’s story.
During this activity, our team took the opportunity to speak words of blessing and hope over these children.
Week 8: Being Crowned
For our very last session of the program, each child got to be crowned as king/queen! It was the perfect way to end this program and transition into a new season. As each child walked the blue carpet towards their “throne”, our team along with the other children cheered them and chanted their names.
What a beautiful way to exemplify the message: “You are precious”.