Sky has been running creative workshops, projects and programmes for over a decade. She has worked with schools, community organisation, libraries…anywhere where there are people paper and pens. She specialises in working with disadvantaged and excluded people, of all ages and abilities, putting her Youth and Community Work deagree and Counselling qualifications to good use.

Partnerships

The Word Bird is currently working in partnership with Action for Children, supporting vulnerable young people and their families through poetry workshops. Here is a sneak peek at one side of the postcard she uses to get them involved.

Schools

Sky has led workshops and programmes in more than 15 schools, working across primary and secondary.

Programmes have included one-off workshops, term-long projects, competitive slams and one-to-one and group therapeutic support. Much of this has been done under the name of the Word Bird but Sky has also worked for organisations including New Writing North.

One of those freelance contracts led to her being contracted as a core staff member at Risedale Sports & Community College in North Yorkshire, delivering workshops and support through poetry for over a year…

…until Covid ended the programme.

The images here are from covers of magazines made by the students and packed full of their poetry.

Adults and artists

Sky has run programmes for adults, including people with poor mental wellbeing at Chilli Studios for three years and Parents4Parents for two years. (See the short documentary film on the footer.)

She has also led programmes for artists and poets, including heading up Scratch Tyne for Apples and Snakes for five years. For much of that time she worked with Rowan McCabe, the Door to Door poet. Check out the video and testimonials.