DFGF Voices

2A. DFGF UPDATE

The DFGF Website is Finally Here!

Image - The About page of Dyslexia FeelGood Funday (DFGF) website.

We've done it! We've launched the Dyslexia FeelGood Funday website.

It's been a lot of hard work, but with assistance from DFGF’s trusty Access Support worker Serena, we've made it.

Learn everything you need to know about DFGF and then some!!

Most of all, please sign up to get copies of our newsletter DFGF Voices delivered straight to your inbox.

DFGF Voices Sign up

Tickets for the FREE! Funday Festival

are now available!

Tickets are now available on Eventbrite to attend our First Ever Dyslexia FeelGood Funday Festival event.

Plain and simple it's going to be masses of fun so be there or be ... er ... square!? I know ... no-one's said that since the 1980s, right?!! ... Further details of the event are of course on our website. and in the What's On Guide of this newsletter.

2B. Promo, Promo, Promo

-Promoting DFGF in Brent

I was really busy during the month of January spreading the word of DFGF around Brent trying to drum up interest in the event and recruit volunteers.

I did 4 Brent Connect Soapbox talks in the month of January starting with Harlesden and ending with Wembley; each time getting more interest from the audience. These are Zoom talks where the local people from each ward get to talk about issues which matter to them receiving feedback from their local councillors. It is also a chance for local groups or individuals to raise awareness of new initiatives and issues by giving a 2 - 3 minute talks.

As a result more people now know about DFGF and the upcoming events.

I also spoke on two separate shows on Chalkhill Community Radio on teh Lets Talk Show presented by Blaze, a fellow dyslexic on 13 January and Big E and Mr Numbervator's Maths show where I talked about dyslexia and also mentioned dyscalculia too.

I thank both presenters for the chance to feature on their shows.

It was my first experience of such things and I thank them for making the process manageable and less daunting.

3. The Team -Three Now Becomes Four

Back on the 18 January the newest member of the team joined us.

Crystal our Volunteer Coordinator has joined the gang. Welcome Crystal! 🥳🥳

Crystal will be involved in recruiting, interviewing, training, supporting retaining and evaluating etc. our fabulous volunteers.

... And we still need more Event Volunteers so if you're interested and are able to spare us some of your time, head over to the Get Involved section of our website. Thanks!

Photo by ian dooley on Unsplash

Photo by ian dooley on Unsplash

4. Donation Target Reached

The £200 target was doubled. £401 was raised by people's kind generosity. Thank you all so much.

Photo by Ricardo Arce on Unsplash

Photo by Ricardo Arce on Unsplash

Back on the 14 January '24 our 24th sponsor helped us double our goal which will enable us to buy more art supplies and purchase any volunteer and/or event resources to compliment the funding we currently have courtesy of Arts Council England.

As of week beginning 12 February, we are also grateful recipients of funding from Brent Council and their Love Where You Live scheme. Thank you Brent, greatly appreciated.

5. A Great Bunch of People - Volunteers at Training Day

Saturday 17 February saw our first volunteer Training Day which took place at Anson Primary School venue for the Dyslexia FeelGood Funday Festival Event.

To date, we had met a handful of our volunteers online in the interview session, but on Saturday 17 Feb we got to meet them in person and this was a lovely experience.

It was a long day 10 am - 5pm, but they maintained engagement with the topics of: event overview, fire & health and safety and safeguarding. The scheduled diversity, equality and inclusion training had to be rescheduled for this weekend, 24 February.

The Volunteers bonded well and they make a good team.

We look forward to working with them and getting to know them more.

6. Volunteers Needed

For more information on the: Event Volunteer role please go to the Get Involved page on our website.

7. News Just in ... Anson Primary School has raised lots of £££s with their Break the Rules Day

Anson Primary School, Willesden, venue for our big Funday Festival event on Saturday 9 March, 12 noon - 8 pm very kindly decided to dedicate their Spring Term Fundraiser to Dyslexia FeelGood Funday by holding a Break the Rules Day raising a whopping £378.17!!!

The money raised will be used to purchase online publicity for the event and pay for hard copy promotional flyers as well as Event Volunteer drinks and snacks at the Funday Festival. Thank you Simon (Head) Justine (Deputy Head) Sue (Caretaker) and all the wonderful staff there.

Thank You So Much Anson Primary School. We are Truly Grateful!

7. Our Funders, Sponsors, Supporters & Donators

The Arts Council England head up this list of great supporters of DFGF. We got a modest grant from them back in August 2023 which is what we are mainly running on. For this I am eternally grateful to be given the chance to make my dream come true and create something which I believe can bring enjoyment and pleasure to a great number of people. Thanks again to Anne from Integrate Agency CIC for her hard work on my submission. Dyslexia FeelGood Funday (DFGF) is supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England.

Texthelp.com have been fabulous and donated a free licence of ReachDeck (website assistive technology) worth £1200 for our brand new website (soon to be installed) and donated the funds for 40 Event Volunteer t-shirts. Thank you so much Texthelp.com and Patrick who has worked on this with me and has been fantastic throughout this process. Patrick we really appreciate your support, also we are immensely grateful for the backing and huge generosity of the company.

Socolo Ltd headed up by Chantal will be sponsoring the event and donating pencils and dyslexia friendly notebooks as gifts for all attendees as well as a few items for the workshops and the hosted competitions too. Thanks Chantal it's sooo very cool that you're backing us. It means an awful lot. Absolutley Fantastic! Thank you!

Anson Primary School in Willesden (as mentioned above, in this section, 7. £££Funding & donations) have also been truly amazing in their support in terms of offering their space for hire and just yesterday, in fact, 21 February, they raised over £300 as part of their Break the Rules Day. This goes towards paid publicity for the Funday Festival as well as snacks and drinks to keep our growing team of fantastic Event Volunteers fed and watered during the event day. Thank you so much, here at DFGF we are truly touched by the sentiment behind raising money for us; getting the whole school involved and at the same time raising awareness of dyslexia and neurodivergence.

Truly fabulous. Thank you again, Anson!

Last of all , but by no means least is, Love Where You Live; funding also recently received in this month of February via the Brent Council Scheme which encourages residents or local groups to run initiatives to better the community in which they live. Thank you very much Brent for believing in our project and funding us. We are very touched and feel very blessed by your support and backing.

8. Artist Spotlight

Each issue we will put one of the DFGF Artists in the spotlight to learn a bit more about what they do & how they got where they are - All ahead of the Big Funday Festival Event on Saturday 9 March 2024.

Photo by Lidia Nikole on Unsplash

Photo by Lidia Nikole on Unsplash

This issue the Spotlight is on Chantal Gagnon, Intuitive Branding Coach & Artist of Socolo Ltd. Chantal along with Texthelp.com are kindly sponsoring the Dyslexia FeelGood Funday Festival Event.

Chantal, founder of Socolo Ltd., is an innovator in the stationery industry, driven by her personal experiences with dyslexia and Irlen syndrome since the age of six.

Recognizing the challenges posed by everyday items like white paper for neurodivergent individuals, Chantal was inspired to create a solution. She founded Socolo with the mission to provide stationery products tailored to the needs of those with neurodiversity.

Under her leadership, Socolo has developed a range of products designed to be accessible and user-friendly. These items feature low glare, tinted paper, and ergonomic designs, addressing the needs of individuals with sensory sensitivities or motor coordination challenges. Socolo's products are crafted from high-quality materials that are responsibly sourced, and the manufacturing is done in the UK, ensuring both functional and ethical standards are met.

Chantal's journey from navigating her own challenges to innovating for others serves as a testament to her dedication to making everyday tools more accessible. Her work with Socolo is not just about creating products; it's about fostering an inclusive environment where neurodivergent individuals can thrive without barriers.

As well as being a wiz with stationery, Chantal has great skills in poetry, sculpture and art. In fact, we will be making great use of her artistic know-how and talent at the Funday Festival.

Image - Chantal Gagnan doing her Artist thing using an array of resources.

Catch Chantal of Socolo Ltd at the Dyslexia FeelGood Funday Festival where she will be leading an innovative and creatively engaging workshop as well as running drop-ins on showing how household throw-aways can become much loved & treasured items. Chantal's workshop at the Funday is entitled Exploring Your Inner Cosmos and Crafting Your Own Universe through Collage - book on Eventbrite. Website: www.socolo.co.uk

9. Past Events

🎤🎙️ONLINE Chat & Taster Session with Asher Hoyles Dyslexic Performance Poet & Author. 🗣️🎤

In early December '23, we had the pleasure of taking part in a Taster Session with Asher Hoyles, Performance Poet & Author; learning about her dyslexic, life as a part-time Performance Poet and how she became an author.

With her guidance we then produced some of our own short poems.

Read Melody's winning poem in 11. Your Voice section of this issue #3 of DFGF Voices.

10. What's On

The Main Events

Dyslexia FeelGood Funday (DFGF) in support of Neurodiversity Celebration Week (NCW) 18 - 24 March 2024.

The Funday Festival is fast approaching. Get your Free! Ticket. Don't miss out.

Neurodiversity is about recognising those of us who think differently and celebrating our differently thinking brains. That's why we're all in favour of Neurodiversity Celebration Week (NCW) - Follow the link and take a look at the great talks and other events which will be taking place during that time.

Our Event

The Dyslexia FeelGood Funday Festival is a FREE! arts-based interactive event primarily for dyslexics & neurodivergents of all ages, but allies and the neuro-majority will also be free to attend and will be most welcome.

Photo by Jené Stephaniuk on Unsplash

Photo by Jené Stephaniuk on Unsplash

What to expect

At the Funday Festival to be attended by the Mayor of Brent, the honourable Orleen Hylton, there will be Workshops & Drop-in Stalls in spoken word, under 5s fun, theatre games, arts and crafts, dance, music and lots more!

Workshops in the WeCreate Workshop Space

-There will be fun interactive art workshops such as the Under 5s theme based session;

-Upcycling Treasure Making! (working title) arts and crafts for ALL ages,

-Theatre/drama games and skits for 18 yrs+ /adult,

-Your Journey - A Spoken Word Workshop for all ages creating pieces reflecting on dyslexics' life journey.

All these are designed to help develop confidence, skills & interests, create connections and increase well-being.

All workshops are run by experts.

In the Main Space - The FeelGood Zone

-There will be a live salsa band with salsa lessons,

-Another Under 5s session,

-A Food Court,

-Arts and crafts drop-in stalls led by the workshop leads,

Chill Lax Room an area of calm for those needing it.

Title: Dyslexia FeelGood Funday ... The Event!

Event date: Saturday 9 March 2024

Time: 12 pm – 8 pm.

Venue: Anson Primary School, Anson Road,

Willesden, London, NW2 4AB.

Funday Eventbrite Tickets

Colour the Music

Online art and music workshop

DFGF will also run an online art and music workshop separate from the main Funday event due to be led by the Artist Duo from Sovereign Comics Ltd who create educationally based comic books.

...During the online session, the artists will use music to encourage the audience, individually and in groups, to draw, paint, colour a comic strip/picture which they feel represents the lyrics, music and rhythm.

One half of the duo, Paul or Phoenix da Icefire is a musician & artist and similarly Dean is highly talented in the area of design, print editing and art directoring. Paul will use his musical ability to demonstrate to the audience how they can depict their musical interpretation of the piece by listening in close detail and considering the various aspects i.e. calm, crescendo, tone, pitch, rhythm etc. to inspire the narrative and images.

Whilst Dean will supply drawing, colouring/illustrative and storytelling tips, helping the audience to build the narrative of their story/comic strip.

ONLINE Colour the Music

When: Saturday 18 May 2024

Time: 1 pm - 3 pm

Age range: Under 18s Must be Accompanied by an Adult.

Location: Online session – Based on UTC/GMT, UK time

Closed captions will be on.

Colour the Music Eventbrite Ticket

11. Your Voice

Share your creativity

Photo by Bob Osias on Unsplash

Photo by Bob Osias on Unsplash

Got a picture you want to share, a poem you'd like other's to appreciate or another example of your creativity you'd be happy to provide? Then please feel free to send it over and we'll share it right here. Contact details below.

Melody Fevrier a participant of the Taster Session with Asher Hoyles in the session tried her hand at writing some poetry and this is what she came up with. I think you'll agree it's pretty impressive!

Rather to be

I am happy when the ginger

boils slow in the pot

When the bwaden colors

the water and sits heavy

with warm aroma in the house

I am happy when Daddy smiles

big, teeth line straight as is love

lined close to the chest

His smile a sun

peaking from a cloud

of quiet, teeming pique

His smile holds me so

I am happy when I float

into the memories of my child

self, and left hand holds the joy

right hand holds the itch,

ache and discomfort

I walk with it a day or two,

some slow seasons,

years perhaps

and then…

Hurl it to the sand

Hurl it to the sea

Hurl it to the river

I want rather to be

I want rather to walk

with hope

* bwaden is bayleaf in Creole

Melody Fevrier

Medlody won a copy of Asher Hoyles' Raise Up The Low Bring Down The Mighty which is Asher's first independently written non-fiction book ... The others to date have been collaborations.

Asher promoting her book Raise Up The Low Bring Down The Mighty

12. DFGF Explained

Dyslexia FeelGood Funday (DFGF)

... So DFGF events are all about:

-Building the confidence of members of the dyslexic community

-Enabling the making of connections with other like minded individuals

-Gaining and improving skills

-Developing and thriving

-Improving well-being

-And simply having FUN!

At DFGF we want individuals and families to turn up at events and have the chance to try different activities and really enjoy them, so-much-so, in fact, that they carry on doing them beyond the life of the event(s)!

We want people to be comfortable at our events and feel that they are in a safe space with understanding and similarly like-minded individuals who they can connect with.

In order to do that we want to give our visitors and audience valuable information & tasters along the way to help them link up with activities which will benefit them by raising well-being, interest and self-esteem. Things which can all be at low levels in a dyslexic person's life.

We'll achieve the above through the bi-monthly or quarterly newsletter, DFGF Voices, (what you're reading here right now!😉).

In DFGF LIVE! the bi-monthly or quarterly Taster Sessions see Past Events in this issue of DFGF Voices.

These will be led by the DFGF Artist-Partners, wetting your appetite ahead of the exciting workshops and drop-ins they'll run at the Funday.

Lastly well-being and connections can also be achieved via the friendly social, fundraising events.

Enjoying what the Healthy Snack Bar had to offer after our 3K Sponsored Walk ... FunWalk! at Anson Primary School on Sunday 29 October 2023.

Enjoying what the Healthy Snack Bar had to offer after our 3K Sponsored Walk ... FunWalk! at Anson Primary School on Sunday 29 October 2023.

13. Contact us

Email us at: hello.dyslexia.fun@gmail.com

Phone us:: 07 90 87 15 308 or

07 94 10 24 742.

If you wish to unsubscribe from this newsletter please type UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject line and mail to: hello.dyslexia.fun@gmail.com

Thank you.

DFGF Opening Hours

Thursdays 10.30 am - 5 pm

We work limited hours, mainly on Thursdays, but whenever you email/call we will try and get back to you as soon as we can, but please expect some delay. Thank you.