Inaugural Memory Books Authorized Training Conference
Additional training for using the Memory Book and operating a successful Memory Book Club were identified as priorities by participants at the first Memory Books Global Conference in Kigali, Rwanda in September 2023.
With the roll out of Memory Books and Memory Book Clubs over the past 20 years, training of volunteers changed over time. The early focus was to preserve a child’s story and re-establish an identity following orphan hood. However, we have discovered that every child experiencing loss across the glove is vulnerable, whether the loss is from the death of a loved one, or poverty, drug addiction, neglect or abuse, bullying or violence, divorce, incarceration, war or disease. Man children and teens feel invisible to the world around them. Often unaware of the frozen grief from loss that lies deep inside and its impact on their live, many are left wondering if their lives matter.
Once the dust settled from the Global Conference, attention was given to developing and in-depth training that would become the Gold Standard for all Global Coordinators and volunteers. Upon completing their training, attendees would achieve Authorized Trainer status and be qualified to train others. With the date and place set for the initial Authorized Training, Tamara Faris, Founder of Memory Books for Children, began rewriting the training manual to cover: Grief from Loss: A Human Condition; The Impact of Grief on Developmental Stages of Life and Ingrained Brain Pathway from Trauma and unresolved Grief; Healing y Forgiving ; and How Blood Heals. These essential topics would provide foundational understanding of why a Memory Book or Memory Book Club setting might benefit a child or teen.
The first Authorized Training opportunity, with over 60 participants in February 2024, happened over four days and included three morning hours of instruction followed by three afternoon ours for review, questions and answers, and practice of skills. The Authorized Training Manual was offered in English, French and Kinyarwanda. Translators served to provide clarity and cultural understanding.
The follow-up survey at the conclusion of the training indicated that many of the attendees found the afternoon question and answer sessions produced even greater insight, relevance, and enhanced understanding. Many shard that sessions also helped them continue to process their own hidden and forgotten loss and grief. That resiliency to not just endure but overcome grief from loss can occur with just one witness to a person’s story. What became apparent among all attendees is human resiliency can lead to post-traumatic growth, or the ability to turn the hard parts of our own stories into something good by being a witness to a child’s or teen’s story.
Delving into hidden grief is hard work, so just as Memory Book Clubs are designed to do, each training day ended with fun, laughter, and play (“a child’s play is a child’s work”).Often healing happens when no one is looking for it. Stories were read and told, child-like laughter filled the room during craft time, and the beating of drums by everyone unleashed such joy no one wanted it to end.
On the last day, a local dance and drama troupe of teens revealed the truth about storytelling: neither words or translation are necessary. With this truth, everyone understood the value in giving a children or teen a Memory Book and an invitation to tell his or her story at Memory Book Club.
The current plan is to provide a Global Authorized Training Conference every other year, beginning in 2026. Authorized Trainers) those who have completed the training) can coordinate with Tamara Faris to offer training locally for their own Memory Book Club facilitators and volunteers in their region who utilize Memory Books.
Happy graduates with their Memory Books Certificates of Completion from the first Authorized Training, Rwanda, February 2024.
Authorized Trainee Insights
I learned a lot of things, but what captured my mind the most ist that the journey is more important the outcome and that has changed my whole perspective of working with grieving children. What really matters is being present for their story, and showing them support during the telling of their story. —Desanges N., DR Congo
The most important thing I learned is grief is part of the human condition. For us to help in the healing of a child that is grieving we (teachers) must also be healed from the pain we are harboring. —Sokodele M., Nigeria
It is good to know about The Big Energy of Grief, Neuroplasticity and Post-Traumatic Growth. —Nancy A., Egypt
I leaned the secret of healing a broken heart is forgiveness. —Eddy B., Burundi
Even though I am a trained counselor, all the information/subjects were covered so well, with much depth of thought, that it was a great refresher. —Andrea R., USA
Nigeria Coordinators Training
by Comfort & Ezekiel M., Global Coordinators
Ezekiel M. & Comfort, Global Coordinators
Following the training model of the Authorized Training Conference, we hosted the 2024 State Administrators Capacity Building Conference in Nigeria in April 2024, with twenty-eight participants from states across Nigeria.
Topics presented included: Grief;Healing and Restoration of a Broken Hear/Forgiveness; Concept and Use of a Memory Book; and the Framework of Memory Book Clubs. Participants had the opportunity to experience a few activities used as part of Memory Book Club - “Healing my heart” and “Bloom where you are planted.”
At the end of the teaching and activities, participants were placed in groups according to the six geo-political zones; facilitators assisted zone participants in learning more about Memory Book Club lessons and activities, the process for completing quarterly reports,ordering and distributing materials, training of volunteers and the convocation of monthly virtual prayer meetings.
Everyone is an Artist!
Participants created flowers using watercolor paints and coffee filters as they pondered what it looks like for them to “bloom where they are planted” —an activity used in Memory Book Clubs.
Sample page from the Memory Book, which is blank under the heading so childen and teens can write or draw their own examples of what they are grateful for.
Greetings!
We would like to take this opportunity to express our gratitude for your continued support for this outreach to children and teens across the globe!
The trajectory of lives changes with the gift of a Memory Books and the opportunity to tell their stories at monthly Memory Book Clubs gatherings. Discovering I am somebody whom God loves changes everything!
We attribute to God the incredible rate at which Memory Books is expanding throughout Africa!
Together we are truly making a difference by valuing the stories, lives, and futures of children, teens and adults!
With sincere appreciation, Ron and Tamara Faris