The MO-TRAYL project organised a workshop entitled “Finding your Voice” for young Ghanaians between the ages of 17 and 24 who are research participants of the MO-TRAYL project. The workshop took place between June 28 and July 1 and brought together participants from Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands.
Francisca Andoh, an established Ghanaian author, entrepreneur, and film-maker who lives in Ghana, guided the young participants in writing about their lives growing up and living between two or more countries. The programme further entailed reading out loud exercises and podcast training held by Laura Ogden, one of the MO-TRAYL researchers.
The MO-TRAYL team guided the youth in exercises and playful games to stimulate creativity and create a safe space where experiences could be shared and discussed collectively. The venue of the workshop, Chateau Bethlehem, provided an ideal setting for a relaxed, creative and constructive group dynamic. In the final-day reflection and feedback session, participants noted the comradery they shared with people of similar backgrounds and the power they felt in writing their story.
The MO-TRAYL team plans to produce a book compiling the youth’s stories, the researchers’ methodological reflections, and Ms Andoh’s experiences in guiding the workshop. The book will include illustrations by a professional illustrator and be accompanied by a podcast series in which youth read their stories.
This workshop was the second in a series of international workshops to be organised in the context of the MO-TRAYL project, which is funded by the ERC. For more information about the workshop, visit the project website and the website of Ms Andoh.
