A guest blog all about our Book Club training sessions from our own Community Development Manager, Lucy Alexander.
I had my first experience of Beyond Words Book Clubs during lockdown. A number of our Clubs had moved online and the members were meeting on Zoom, which was a technological shift for us all. The novelty of that really added some fun – especially when the facilitator changed their background to the seaside or the pub! These features are now so familiar, but what has never changed is the joy that comes from taking part in a Book Club. No matter which book we read or what topic we discuss the warmth and social connection in the group is unbeatable.
At Beyond Words, I organise and facilitate Book Club training sessions - but it isn’t just me! I have Co-Trainers from within the Beyond Words team like Nigel Hollins, Beyond Words’ Co-Founder and author. More than this, we work with students from the City Lit’s Centre for Learning Disabilities Education. Eight students have signed up to co-train with us. We have all been working together for about a year.
Book Club trainees come in from various organisations; colleges, advocacy groups, health and social care providers and more. They come to hear about how our Book Clubs help people to make friends and have fun, as well as how they can set up their own. We give them a full experience of how a Book Club feels, inviting them to take part in a Club in action We take turns to tell the story we see, listen carefully to each person as they read the picture in front of them, hear how the co-trainers support each other to have their say and show how the characters feel as the story unfolds.
A recent attendee commented that it made all the difference coming to the session: “You really get the ethos of a Book Club and you get to feel the atmosphere”.
What really touches me about our sessions is how the student trainers have blossomed and their personalities have shone through. From stony and wary silence as they first joined the group to relaxed confidence as they enter the room and introduce themselves to new people. I see their knowledge about what is going on in their and others’ lives and concern about what matters to the other group members. The student co-trainers are confident about what happens during a training session. They make our trainees welcome and confidently explain how it works and what will happen next.
With a range of abilities in the group it is clear how much confidence and enjoyment everyone gets from our sessions – trainees and trainers alike.
We’ve been thrilled to see the level of interest in our Book Clubs so far. Our new Book Club in a Box programme, generously funded by the National Lottery Community Fund, means that we can help up to 300 new Book Clubs start in England for free. As part of this programme, you will get to take part in our training either in-person or online and see for yourself what makes our Book Clubs so special. Find out more about how to get started.