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There was little energy in the room during the first group session. Before, girls were meeting on musical terms. Now \u2013 on their own initiative \u2013 they were here to air and discuss personal concerns and issues. Issues such as teenage pregnancy. But the room was quiet. <\/p>\n
Narrative therapist and MusicWorks facilitator, Th\u00e9r\u00e8se Hulme, put forward the question: \u201cWhat should we be talking about instead, then?\u201d <\/p>\n
It was as if the question ignited a fire. From around the circle, girls literally cried out about being constantly put down and criticised in their communities. One girl said everyone expected the worst from them. Someone remarked that if everyone thought you would get pregnant, you might as well get pregnant because it was expected anyway. \u201cYes, yes, it\u2019s just like that,\u201d others were cheering her on. \u201cWe\u2019re not good enough,\u201d they all agreed. <\/p>\n
This prompted the question: \u201cIs there anyone in your life that would be able to tell a \u2018good enough\u2019 story about you?\u201d <\/p>\n
Three girls volunteered stories, and their exact words were recorded and later played back to them with a suggestion: to write their words to song and to record themselves performing it.<\/p>\n
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[three_fourth]<\/p>\n
“Nosi, it will not keep you down. You are a strong woman!”<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
[\/three_fourth][one_fourth_last][\/one_fourth_last]
\n[hr style=”1″ margin=”0px 0px 40px 0px”]<\/p>\nNosi told of her cousin who was someone who always believed in her; the first person she had told about her experiences of verbal and emotional abuse. The first person to tell her, \u201cNosi, it will not keep you down. You are a strong woman!\u201d<\/p>\n