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City charities support St George’s Hall launch of new book creating kindness among schoolchildren
2 hours ago
City charities including the LFC Foundation and Alfie’s Squad are among a host of organisations supporting the launch of a new book series aimed at creating kindness and understanding among schoolchildren.
The ‘What If’ series has been written by former teacher turned first-time author Sophie Melia, who’s used her experiences in the classroom and beyond to imagine a collection of stories which inspire empathy for children who’ve endured ‘the worst and unimaginable’ experiences.
The first follows the story of Asad, a child whose journey mirrors that of a refugee without explicitly mentioning war or displacement, country or culture, instead creating a magical tale that children can enjoy and relate to.
Its central message is simple but powerful:
“We never know what someone is going through, so we should always lead with kindness.”
Sophie, 34, from Wavertree, says:
“The series is based on children I have come across, who have been through difficult experiences and so are shy and withdrawn, where there might be language barriers, and so the other kids just think they’re different and might not understand them.
“It might sound miserable, but the books are positive and uplifting, and they help children to feel empathy, to be the child who offers friendship and asks them to play with them.”
The launch is being held at St George’s Hall on Monday, March 23, with an evening event that shines a light on children’s mental health and the effect of long term trauma and adverse childhood experiences.
Mental Health Support for Children and Young People in Livepool, YPAS (Young Person’s Advisory Service), Merseyside Youth Association, Liverpool Parent and Carers Forum, Children’s Social Care, Barnardo’s, PSS, Positive Futures, Merseycare 0-19 school health team, SEND and Inclusion Services, and more, will also be there showcasing the work they do to support children with SEND and social care involvement across Liverpool City Region.
Winners of a poetry competition held by Sophie will recite their poems, and youngsters from primary and secondary schools will perform.
“I didn’t just want to have a ‘party’ and say woohoo me, I’ve written a book,” explains Sophie. “I wanted to use it to share the book series with professionals right across the network, and as a platform and event to get it and all these youth support services out there to others who might find them useful.
“I want it to help as many people as possible, so they find out what help’s available.”
Mum-of-one Sophie, a dynamic support key worker for the Integrated Care Board who’s currently on maternity leave, has always been the one to care:
“Even as a child, it came natural to me, to care and ask why people are behaving as they are,” she says.
Working with children has only reinforced that nurturing instinct and desire to help.
Sophie began her working career as a primary school teacher specialising in disability, moving into residential care work when she realised how many children she taught were living in care homes.
“I was working with kids in care and specialised in children with extreme behaviours through to social, behavioural and emotional difficulties, and set up a mentoring company for kids who were being sexually or criminally exploited or were at risk.
“I did that for a while and then moved to the Integrated Care Board working in mental health commissioning, specifically for children with autism and learning disabilities who are at risk of hospitalisation because of their mental health.
“I’ve basically followed those who’ve been through difficult experiences and have highly challenging behaviours because of that.
“Research shows that having friends can reduce the impact of this … and as a teacher I used to think if you had any idea what was going on in that child’s life, you’d be nice to that kid.
“Friendship and peer support gives someone a sense of belonging and being understood, and not feeling isolated and alone. Other than having one trusted adult that’s the most important factor, and it can mean they’re less likely to end up with police involvement and social care involvement, and less likely to need mental health services.
“It comes down to whether they have those friendships – it makes the biggest difference in the world.”
Sophie found a way to encourage those friendships with a series of books she wrote a few years ago.
“The first about Asad is based on children I taught who were refugees and who were quiet and withdrawn, but the concept of the book – and the series has the same pattern – is that a girl goes home and talks to a parent about this child in class who doesn’t talk to anyone or play with the toys, and the mum comes up with an imaginative story asking What If he comes from a far away land and goblins took over his village, or dragons burned down his home, and What If he ran as fast as he could across through desserts and valleys, and pirates took him on a ship across the seas and he ended up far away from home, and ended up in your classroom?
“The little girl asks ‘What If’ I asked him to play with me, and became his friend? Essentially our kindness could make all the difference.
“They all follow that pattern with metaphors rather than the reality. The second one is about substance abuse, the third bereavement, and I’m working on a fourth.”
The books have been illustrated by Ukrainian artist Ira Baykovska and published by Bumblebee Books at £6.99.
Sophie has created a resource pack for teachers and this week has been on a schools roadshow, reading her stories and inviting questions.
“My goal is to teach children that we don’t always know what someone’s going through and to be kind,” says Sophie. “To promote friendship and help children who have been through the worst experiences.”
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