Membership Spotlight highlights the work of our member organisations and outline how other individuals and NGOs can support them. Below we shine the light on Licketyspit and the launch of their new project and film.

Licketyspit is a children’s theatre and play organisation and the home of Storyplay Scotland. We have been a member of Together for 4 years. 

We deliver Storyplay projects in schools, nurseries, communities, cultural venues and online, with 3-8 year olds and their families with a focus on children and families who experience poverty, isolation and/or trauma.

Storyplay sessions are inclusive, transformative group imaginary play sessions which support children’s rights and development, integration, parenting and family wellbeing. Our approach has come directly from consulting children through play over the last 20 years. Storyplay Champion volunteers (children’s professionals, parents and children) support specialist Licketyspit Actor-Pedagogues to deliver our projects, which include Porridge & Play, Picnic & Play, Have Your Say Through Play child consultations, LicketyMums, Storyplay Schools and Storyplay City. 

Launch of Our New Project and Film

We are just coming to the end of our three-year Storyplay City project, supported by Glasgow Communities Fund. This project has mainly been delivered online, with children joining us on Zoom from across Glasgow for exciting Storyplay adventures!

Muhammed The Mind Reader guessed that Top Hat Producer was precisely thinking ‘pinneaple’ and Fabulous Producer was precisely thinking ‘chocolate’. And his Amazing Assistant Adeelah who can juggle while balancing an octopus on her head did precisely that!

“Hello, I’m Madame Singer and I sing and dance. I sing Lullaby songs’. – 9 year old

We are also delivering our Lickety Mums project where we gather online for Storyplay, to reconnect with our body and mind and share our news of the week. This project supports parenting, wellbeing, and demonstrates our belief that we all need to play because actually, we all need what children need and when we deliver children’s rights, we can start to build the more inclusive, supportive, connected society we all deserve.

It’s like a break, a wee laugh and a wee support from other women it makes me to realise it’s not only me’. –  Lickety Mum

We have also been doing some pop up Porridge & Play Hub sessions as part of Storyplay City, in Castlemilk, Govan, Cranhill and Maryhill. We’re very excited to announce that our family Porridge & Play activities will continue in our 6 community hubs and online this year thanks to continued support from The National Lottery Community Fund!

“It’s a lovely opportunity to share your ideas, games and to live in your childhood” – Mum of 3, Bridgeton

“I wish I could come here everyday. I love going to Licketyspit is gives me more energy. I always draw and sometimes play at home” – 8 year old, Cranhill

We have just released a new film about our Porridge and Play sessions in Govan, Ruchill and Whiteinch last year, where you can really see how Storyplay unlocks children’s voices. Click here to open hyperlink to view new film.

How do you support children and families to learn about their rights?

Our Storyplay approach is a children’s rights-based approach to family engagement, where every participant is supported to be seen, heard, valued and included. Turn taking is scrupulously fair and everyone’s ideas are validated in the Storyplay games.

In our Have Your Say Through Play programme, we consult children about policies, including the UNCRC (Incorporation) (Scotland) Bill, through Storyplay. We also inform children and families about their rights through our regular Children & Families Network communications.

How can children and young people make their views heard to influence your work?

Each Licketyspit session ends with Reflective Drawing and the Lickety Art Gallery, where participants are supported to share their thoughts, feelings and ideas about the session. We also hold consultation sessions on Zoom with children, create child-friendly feedback forms and make copious notes about what children say at our sessions, which are fed into our rigorous evaluation and monitoring.

Does your organisation influence policy development on issues affecting children and young people? If so, please share an example.

“In the Rights Cake I want to put the right to be together!” Child, 9, Have Your Say Through Play (‘Let’s Bake a Rights Cake’ Storyplay game)

Our Have Your Say Through Play consultations have supported children and young people to have their say on policy matters including the GIRFEC refresh, Covid-19 lockdowns, UNCRC Incorporation, National Play Strategy and Family Law.

In our recent Have Your Say Through Play consultation on the GIRFEC Refresh, we explained and explored the Getting it Right for Every Child Values and Principles using the Storyplay games Three Craws (trad Scottish), Dressing Up and Magic Ball.

We sang the Three Craws song and talked about the different circumstances or challenges being experienced by the ‘craw children’ and the different support they might need from grown-ups (the first craw ‘fell and broke his jaw’, the second craw ‘couldnae flee at all’, the third craw ‘was greetin’ for his maw’ and the fourth craw ‘wisnae there at all’)

“Need to tell mummy so she might know what to do.” – Lisa, 6.

We then dressed up as Craw Characters and introduced ourselves and any needs we might have from our grown-up craws.

The importance of fairness and non-discrimination was deeply understood by the children, with one describing the importance of non-discrimination as “because it hurts them inside.” Arshad, 10; “So what I would do if somebody is bullying somebody else I would go up to the person that’s bullying them and say to them I don’t think you should be doing that because I think that’s making them a bit hurt or sad.” Lisa, 6

Discussing “equitably tackling inequality” we asked, ‘is there anything people can do at school to make sure you are all treated fairly?’ at school. The children replied:

“They make sure they spend time, they help everyone equally not just staying with one person.” 8 year old; “An example of when people have being showing equity with all kinds of races is when we are playing football they are showing teamwork and including everyone.” – Glory, 9

What do you enjoy most about being a member of Together?

We love being connected to other rights focused organisations and working together towards to be more inclusive, children’s rights-respecting, equal society we all want.

Together members know we all need what children need!

How can other organisations or individuals get involved or support your work?

We are increasingly offering Storyplay Training to partners in education, family support, women’s aid and other areas of the children & family workforce. We think play is the language of children and that to deliver on children’s rights, every adult working with and for children needs to relearn the language of play. After recently finishing a pioneering pilot with Scottish Women’s Aid and our New Scots Integration project, we are excited to share our approach more widely with the upcoming publication of our Storyplay Handbook.

If your organisation was an animal what would it be and why?

A Funky Chicken of course! We start most of our sessions with this Storyplay animal rhyming game to break the ice and set the tone for inclusive, limitless imaginary play. Once you’ve danced like a Funky Chicken together, you lose your inhibitions and there can be no going back! The possibilities in Storyplay are endless and you take this sense of possibility out of the workshop and into the world.

Ends

If you are interested in finding out further information about them, visit their website, click here to open hyperlink.

Or alternatively you can email –  info@licketyspit.com

Get Involved with Together

Are you a Together organisational Member and would like to collaborate for a Membership Spotlight? Email: caitlin@togetherscotland.org.uk

Would you like to find out further information about joining Together’s Membership? Find out further information by opening this hyperlink.