Heritage, History & Her offers history engagement workshops that focus on exploring identity and developing confidence by seeing your own experiences reflected in those from the past. We can’t asign today’s identities to them but can see what experiences we have in common.
Each workshop has a core focus, but I adapt the specifics throughout the session based on the interests and questions of participants. Through this, I challenge the view of history as a set thing, focused on dates and battles and the stories deemed most ‘important’ by those in power. By putting the participants at the centre of the workshop, we can see what matters to them – where their interests and experiences help them understand and grow fascinated in the past.
Workshops combine my academic background, community engagement work and experience running theatre workshops focused on developing skills and confidence for young people.
They may not know today’s terms for it, or have it be part of their identity in the same way, but neurodiversity has always existed – and people who don’t follow the expectations and rules of society tend to stick out from the norm.
Have you ever pretended to act differently to fit in? This is known as masking. One figure in the workshop was described as: “acutely self-conscious and anxious to please. She imitated her Grandmother’s likes and dislikes, training herself to anticipate the expectations of adults”.
This figure described how he was “not able to follow out any train of thought” and his dream to become a merchant to “toss about the world”.
This figure had his own boat built as a safe space to avoid having to socialise with others – he literally called it “the house with no knocker”.
Book this workshop for your community group by selecting Neurospicy History: Hey That’s like me! on the form below. Get in touch at molly.wyatt@heritagehistoryher.co.uk for any other enquireies (including public workshops).
