Stories of Choice and Empowerment, final celebration and presentations.

This is the final session of a storytelling program designed for at-risk girls. It is a night of celebration, somewhat like a graduation.

The evening begins with an explanation of what will happen and why we are celebrating. The girls have completed seven sessions of storytelling and self exploration, with the celebration being the eighth session. Each week has built on the last with a focus on metaphor and the power of story.

The girls are told a story. I like to use Laura Simms Black and White Cows for this evening. I call the story Star Woman’s Basket.
A farmer captures a woman who comes from the heavens and milks his cows dry. He wants to marry her and she says yes as long as he never looks in or asks about her basket. All goes well until many years later when she is called away for an extended time as a midwife. His curiosity gets the better of him and he opens the basket, only to find it empty. He barely has time to replace the lid before his wife enters the house. Seeing that he has betrayed his trust, she takes her basket and leaves.

Not only is this a wonderful story about relationship, it is a reminder about the importance of keeping trust.

I then ask the girls to place a dream, wish or something they want to keep sacred into my round basket with the promise to keep them safe. In the spring, I invite friends over for a wish planting ceremony. The girls’ wishes are planted in my garden under a prayer tree.
Following the story, the girls then presented their mandala projects. (See Mandalas for Healing for the method used to create these lovely works of art and soul.) Then each was awarded a key on a string, representing the tool they now have to unlock the door to their future. The key is the power of story.

After all the presentations are given, we eat. Breaking bread together is an important element of community.