Save The Library; Save The Librarian!

All over the country, libraries are being closed down because of local government cutbacks; cutbacks forced on them by national government slashing their budgets.  Often, libraries are the first to go.  They are seen as an easy target, all-too-often it is claimed they are rarely used, or as was said in my local area, are ‘white middle-class privileges’, or worst of all, libraries are held up as an either/or choice – either you have youth services or libraries, old people’s centres or libraries, community centres or libraries.  All of these were lies in my area; it is a poor borough, a multi-ethnic community and the libraries were not only already the community centres, they were the only place the poorer (who also tended because of racism/disablism to be the non-white and non-able-bodied members of the community) could get internet access for job searches, community information and for the children, the only place they could do their homework.

Did you know children are now expected to do their homework on a computer and to use the internet to research?  It’s true.  Getting rid of libraries penalises the disadvantaged almost from the day they are born.  Given 23% of the country do not have internet access and the levels of poverty and homelessness are rising, this is just going to get worse.

According to Public Library News, 397 libraries (309 buildings and 88 mobiles) are currently under threat of closure, have already been closed or have left council control since 1^st April 2011, out of a total of approximately 4,612 in the United Kingdom.  CILIP, the professional body for librarians predict there are a total of 600 libraries under threat.  My own local library is now run by a not-for-profit company by volunteers and, it was promised, one qualified librarian.  In our community, it was that or lose the library altogether.

Local areas, such as Brent, Surrey, and Doncaster, have already or are being forced to take legal action to protect the provision of library services; this action being led by myriad campaigners from all walks of life (not a viable option for my local library).  On Speak Up For Libraries Day on Tuesday 13^th March 2012, a rally and lobby of parliament is happening (please go if you are able; sadly I am not), and I want to give my voice to exactly why I love libraries and librarians, and why I don’t just believe, I KNOW that libraries are not a luxury but a necessity.  I believe access to libraries is a fundamental human right.  Here’s why:

1. Librarians will help you discover information and expand your knowledge, in the secure understanding that all that knowledge has been thoroughly checked and is fact rather than speculation or biased conjecture; or if it speculative or prejudiced, it is clear that it is.
2. Librarians can recommend fiction and advise on fictional books you would enjoy; expanding your literary understanding and life experiences.
3. The access to information, entertainment and community is free and available to all.
4. Librarians provide support, and help you develop and reach your full potential.
5. Information isn’t restricted according to whichever societal privilege you don’t have access to.
6. Libraries are community centres/book lending depositaries/free internet access sites/meeting places for like-minded people.
7. Libraries are the frontline in purveying up-to-date knowledge and imagination, and librarians are the trained individuals adept at ensuring that you have that access.
8. Libraries stay modern; new developments in technology such as the advent of the internet, the loaning of videos, DVDs, cassette tapes, CDs, Blu-Rays (and who knows what the future will hold) become freely accessible and very often tutorials in the use of new technology are available from the library.  If not, then the library will certainly have the information as to where tutorials can be accessed.
9. Libraries are networked; in local areas if you can’t find what you need in your local library, the librarian will be able to order it from another local library.

Many boroughs are stating they will keep libraries open if they are staffed by volunteers.  Not only is this taking away paid employment from a highly trained professional, this is a disservice to the local community.  Librarians don’t merely check books in and out, as the examples I give above explain.  They maintain and update libraries constantly and are a lifeline in a local community.  Relying on volunteers is putting too heavy a responsibility on a community, and is making untrained, ill-equipped people do the work that requires highly-trained and knowledgeable personnel to effectively undertake.   It is a disservice to libraries, librarians and the local communities they serve.

If you want to know more, check out Voices for the Library or go to your local library and find out what they are doing and how you can help save this vital lifeline to your community.  You may not use the library, but your community does, and you never know when you might need it.  If you don’t try to save it, one day it won’t be there and then it will be too late.

If we don’t fight for libraries and librarians, if we don’t stand up for this source of independent information, knowledge, creativity and imagination, then we will stagnate as a society and will cease to be able to develop truly independent opinions.  We will really become the sheep, incapable of independent thought, incapable of an independent opinion and unable to make a truly informed choice about anything in our lives.  That’s not what I want.  I hope it isn’t what you want either.

Save the Library.  Save the Librarian.  Please act now.  Thank you.

Million Women Rise

On Saturday 3rd March, alongside Selfridges Food Hall we gathered; many thousands of us, purple-clad or flower-adorned, ready to walk along Oxford Street, around Eros andPiccadilly Circus, and on toTrafalgar Squarefor the rally against violence perpetrated on women and children.

Never was there a safer, more friendly, more intersectionally-inclusive area for women activists, for women and children survivors and thrivers.  Many of the women and children had experienced violence at the hands of men; that is why this is a women-only march.  It gives voice and space to women who do not yet feel safe in the company of men, whose experience of men has taught them fear.  Men can accompany the march to show their support, walking alongside on the paths, and some did so (one wearing the Fawcett Society’s famous “This is What a Feminist Looks Like” T-shirt WHICH I WANT!!).  But this was about female empowerment, the female voice so often silenced, and the sisterhood rising up and shouting “no more!”

I’ve made a strictly amateur video, which I hope evokes some of the feelings the march engendered (pun intended) in me.

For 1 ½ hours we stood, reading the myriad inventive banners (my personal favourite is the vagina wall, and I want this as a quilt!  See right) and chatting amongst ourselves.  I was to have met two friends, but unfortunately (it appeared) neither was able to meet me.  So of course, being the shy retiring creature I am, I chatted to everyone around me.  Heather and Jane, who are co-editors of Women’s Views on News (which I got quite excited about, it being a pet peeve of mine that women are always “other” when it comes to news stories – a prime example is the total lack of any coverage of the MWR march), kindly allowed me to adopt them.  We chatted about how we became involved with the march; it is my second, I stewarded in 2009 from the Van which runs at the back of the march to help those with mobility problems.  I noticed we were behind the clearly labelled “Deaf Zone” and the inclusivity of the march became apparent; the rally was signed, and all accommodation for those with disabilities that could be made was being made.

By 1.30 pm we were getting a bit impatient to get on with the walking.  We had most of theWest Endto march through, we wanted to show our banners, shout our power and let the world know that violence against women was NOT acceptable.  Finally, at 1.45 pm, we moved off.

The song began, the song of the march.  Women’s and children’s voices raised up in empowered chant and it was extremely moving.  There were many thousands of us, all moving as one and all there for one reason.  It was incredible, it was a sisterhood.  I wished everyone could have been there.

Tourists, and random Londoners I am sure, took photos all along the route.  It is a busy route and none of them were expecting to see us there, but we were met with nothing but smiles and large cameras.

The sun shone down on us and it was a glorious day.  We marched, we sang, we chanted, we were heard.  A band of drummers thrummed a regular beat to which we danced, if not with our feet, with our hearts.  By this time, my arthritis was kicking in (really 3 ½ hours of standing and walking is far beyond me).  I knew this may be the last march I could do, and I was determined I was going to do it.  Then, the loveliest of surprises.  Zoe, who I had expected to meet but who had not made it, found me amongst the thousands of women and joined me for the final leg.  Although I had not been alone before, now I had a known-friend rather than stranger-friend with me.  The smile on our faces says it all really (see left. Obviously).

As we neared Trafalgar Square, we heard the soundstage and the song uplifted us even more.  We arrived, to the surprise of the many people who were merely there to see the sights.  But they stayed, as we did (as long as we could) to see the performers and to hear the testimonies, which raised us up whilst breaking our hearts.  The facts are horrifying, and I will only list a few:

• Only 6% of rape cases are ever prosecuted.
• 1 in 3 women will experience sexual assault and/or domestic violence.
• Violence against women is the most common factor in HIV infection rates; 80% of new cases are Black women.
• Globally, every year, 60 million schoolgirls are sexually assaulted at or on the way to school.

This march is a necessity, and it is a global scream of rage and strength.  We will be heard.  For more about this march, check out the website.

A young dance troupe opened the rally with a spirited and joyous dance, in honour of the International Year of the Girl Child.  This was followed by a youth action group from Leeds called The Warren Project, young women who had formed F.R.E.S.H. (Females Reinventing, Educating and Strengthening Humanity); their young voices belied the experience they should not have to have.  Myriad other groups were represented.  There were so many young people mingling with us older women.  All generations were represented, and if I ever worried about the future of feminism and activism, I stopped worrying at this point.  We are in safe hands.

It was 3.30 pm, my body was screaming with pain but my soul was dancing with joy.  Our voices, I know, were heard and our fight will go on.  I’m posting some more photos here; if you get the chance, join me next year.  I hope to walk, I will plan slightly better so that I am not standing around so long, but if I can’t walk the full distance I will be at the rally.  Join me, won’t you, please?

Maybe one day, the Million Women will not have to Rise.  Till then, I will rise with them.

Teaching a Child Respect – it’s a two-way street

“When a child hits a child, we call it aggression.
When a child hits an adult, we call it hostility.
When an adult hits an adult, we call it assault.
When an adult hits a child, we call it discipline.”

― Haim G. Ginott

(thanks to Rebekah Griffiths for inspiring this post).

NB: Trigger warning for stories of sexual violence on several of the links in this article.

On the bus the other day I overheard a woman and a young boy (about 13, still only just entering his adolescence) having a massive argument.  It appears the child and his young female friend, next to whom the adult woman had sat, had been mucking about and a pen had been thrown which landed on the floor.  For the rest of the boy’s bus journey this adult woman was loudly shouting (deliberately, to get the rest of the bus passengers to join in on her admonishments as she specifically stated more than once) at the boy calling him all manner of bad names and loudly proclaiming his utter disrespect.  The boy was retaliating.  The woman kept loudly stating how he clearly had no respect and disparaged his mother in her comments.  The boy was swearing and objecting to her comments

The little girl was sat in floods of tears next to the adult woman.  The boy got off the bus after about 15 minutes but the adult woman did not stop going on.  I got up and moved the little girl next to me so she could get away from it.

Yes, the boy behaved badly, and the little girl was extremely embarrassed about this.  The woman, however, also behaved badly (a fact that was gratifyingly pointed out to her in a calm and eloquent manner by a mother standing by her pram a bit further down the bus).  This woman behaved like a bully, and I did not blame the boy for standing up for his friend, although his methods were not the best.  Bear in mind, however, that recent scientific research has shown that teenagers are going through many, many changes and the effects of these changes on the brain make immediate thought and reasoned action harder than for adults whose brains have already undergone the horrible changes adolescence forces on (almost) all of us.  For those interested in this sort of thing, lots of articles can be found here.

When asked a question, their brains do not leap to answers as those of adults, or the brilliant randomness of responses that smaller children come up with.  Their emotions are heightened and more extreme, therefore one must assume their reactions will be.  Science knows this, but it appears society, despite all of us having gone through exactly the same changes, does not.

This occurrence got me thinking (as most things do).  We have demonised children in our society.  The riots in London and elsewhere last year saw comments about our ‘feral children’, ‘lacking respect and discipline’, splashed all over the media.  There was little insight publicised or attempted to be understood as to the reasons why that may be.  So where do they learn respect from?

Children are not raised in a vacuum which only contains their parents and their school.  They see how we act towards them, as a wider society.  They know that their futures are bleak, with youth unemployment at its highest level since 1984/85 (Office of National Statistics).

The UK is one of the few countries where smacking a child is still seen as an acceptable form of punishment of a child.  I believe the use of violence to punish a child for perceived wrong-doing merely teaches them that violence is an acceptable act.  They may even be punished for being violent by being hit, a confused message to send if nothing else.

I have seen an adult tell a child that because one or two children may have behaved badly to an adult, that adult is completely justified in terrifying any other child they may come across (see my blog post entitled The Stalker of the Child).  I know of female adolescents who are threatened with sexual violence and male adolescents who are threatened with physical violence if they do not join a gang; this leaves them with no place to be themselves and understandably removes any sense of safety they may have in the place that they live.  This is not a unique circumstance.  Communities can be terrifying; in the US for example an 11 year old girl was gang-raped, and many members of her community victim-blamed both her and her family for the incident.

Peer pressure is tremendous in adolescence.  Schools are tied in what they can do, and investment in youth projects has been slashed across the board.  Children and adolescents have no place to go unless their families can afford to pay for them to attend a variety of clubs that are either special interest or, much more rarely, general youth groups.  Even these youth groups can be places of pressure and undue influence.  The problems children and adolescents face are myriad, and are being faced by a group of people who are still developing their emotional and intellectual skills to be able to deal with the problems they may face.

Respect is earned, yet we expect our children and adolescents to respect adults without any attempt to earn it.  We shout, scream and disparage them with no knowledge of them or their backgrounds and expect them not only to sit there and take it but to learn lessons from it.  Whenever a problem in society arises which directly affects children and adolescents we find some way to blame them for it.  Who is in charge, children and adolescents or adults?  Adults, of course.  All adults.  Even those of us who might just be in their presence for a short period of time.

If we want our children and adolescents to respect us, they will need to feel they have value and that they will be respected in return.  I don’t see much of this going on, and I am therefore not surprised when the first reaction of an adolescent to a stranger spending 15 minutes disparaging him and his mother on the bus is to swear, shout and disparage back.  Respect given is respect earned.  Clearly, the only lesson this boy learned was that he is hated by adults and that he and his family do not deserve respect.  He did not handle it in the best way.  He was the child, though, she was the adult.  It was her responsibility to behave in a way which she would wish the child to emulate.  She did not show him any respect, and worse, expressed none for his mother who was not even present.  If she did not show any respect why, then, should he give it? And more significantly, how should he learn to show it?

The Time Bank

Sadly not some Doctor Who-related time travelling treat, but happily a system in which communities can offer help and volunteer whatever skills they may have, and receive help in return.

No, this is NOT David Cameron’s Big Society.  No volunteer can offer skills which impinge on trade or essential help such as counselling, nursing, plumbing, electrical work (unless it is wiring a plug or general DIY – that is a very popular Time Bank gift people can offer) or installation of white goods – if it requires professional indemnity insurance, it cannot be offered!

What it seems the time bank will do, and has been proven to do in the Rushey Green Time Bank scheme which has been successfully operating as a charity for ten years now (link here to check it out – http://www.rgtb.org.uk), is build communities, create living environments where we know and support one another and help dispel the loneliness, fear and isolation that many people feel living in anonymous big cities or distant rural areas.

All well and good, you might say, but does it actually WORK?  In a word, yes.  I attended the inaugural time bank event for the Lewisham area at St. Laurence’s Church yesterday (9^th April) hoping to offer basic advice on how to set up a Will (not the actual drafting – see above re professional indemnity and impinging on trade).  I assumed I would perhaps see a couple of people, so took a book to read in case.  I was there 5 hours and my offering proved quite popular; around 15 people helped (plus more given the amount of pre-prepared leaflets I gave out) so I ended up with a 5 minute break for lunch, a fantastic glow of pride in my soul, and a new set of acquaintances I very much hope to meet again at future time bank events.

The other skills that were offered at this event included juggling, sewing (oh how I wish I’d taken that pair of trousers I’ve had lying around for months…), DIY, bicycle repair, digital photography (help with cameras and online sites), hair plaiting, face painting, IT help, and advice regarding baking appliances and cooking.  Children offered help to adults, and vice versa.  There were musicians who played to entertain and gave lessons to interested folk of all ages.  People moved between stalls, both volunteers and visitors.  Anything you can offer is gratefully accepted.

The Time Bank is bigger than just site-specific events.  It will eventually, one hopes, have a register of people who can offer anything – can you wire a plug?  Good, some people will need help with that.  Can you put in a light bulb?  Great, you can help the old person down the road who finds it hard to balance on ladders, and they in turn can offer proof-reading or teach knitting or read to children, and the person who benefits from that can offer babysitting or teach someone how to cook a meal or help in the garden.  You bank the volunteer time you earn by helping, and can spend it anywhere else, or you can donate it to someone who may need it and has been unable to volunteer much themselves.

It’s wonderful, it’s heart-warming, it’s voluntary and it is the ultimate in Pay It Forward.  I, for one, am excited.

But no, Mr Cameron, it is not the Big Society.  It is community.