As the weeks fly by it feels as if the framework of the ‘Birthing Stories’ project is taking shape. To secure funding we first must garner interest, thus I have been seeking out contacts to the various communities that make up Worcester. What has become evident through all this is that we must not lose sight of what this project is about - uplifting women. It’s about them telling their stories as women first and foremost. During my research, I found myself so fascinated by all the different traditions, practices, ceremonies and teachings surrounding birth, that I somewhat lost sight of this. Yes, a mother may be influenced by the other aspects of her life, but what we want to do here is unite their shared experiences as women. I have kept all the research I have gathered over the weeks, but I now realise it’s important for these mothers to share what they want to share. Maybe others parts of their identity influenced their childbirth, maybe it didn’t. Though now, if they choose to talk about these various ceremonies or teachings, I have some background knowledge, despite there being so much more I could learn from their stories. This is why it’s so important to share them through the project - so we can all learn not just about different walks of life but most importantly, what women go through during childbirth.
I’ve drafted emails to send out to various groups with this in mind, which can be hopefully sent out in the next week or so. Additionally, we’re planning to create a web page describing what we want to achieve, to further help them decide on whether they’d be interested in contributing.
I began this project knowing I wanted to engage with communities, and this is why I felt working with the George Marshall Medical Museum would be an amazing route for me to take. However, along the way I’ve been able to learn even more about why this is so important. My blog post on community engagement is linked below, and demonstrates why projects such as these can be a huge asset to the region they’re based in.