Registered Charity
NEWS
Recent and Future Events
NEWS
Jill appears in Action for ME's InterAction Magazine
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Our founder Jill Rakusen was invited to write a piece for Action for ME's InterAction magazine (winter 2024 edition) about how ME drew her in to a new relationship with music, and song in particular. Shared here and on our Facebook page.
We'd like to welcome any InterAction readers to our site, and potentially to our community. We know that our existing members and supporters will make you very welcome. Jill has lived with post-viral fatigue syndrome for over 30 years and Giving Voice – the approach she developed – has been a resource that many people living with ME and other chronic conditions have found very useful.
If you'd like to register your interest in a taster session do send us an email to info@givingvoicefoundation.org.uk; follow us on our Facebook page; have a look at our book Unlocking the Power of Song: A Companion for Challenging Times and have a look at our lovely blog posts about how Giving Voice has helped people over many years, and browse the rest of our website.
For the InterAction article, Jill was also asked to share about a seasonal song. She chose Silent Night and we have created a blog post with more information and some soulful recordings.
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UPCOMING EVENTS
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DECEMBER 8th: “I Have the Power to Make a Difference” Online​
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Here we will focus on the Transformation Chant (Song 2 in Jill’s book), and ways in which it can help empower us.
It will be a short session on zoom, for people who have the book.
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Timings: 3:15 for 3:30 until 3:50,
Cost: no charge, though donations welcome
To register your interest: just send us an email to info@givingvoicefoundation.org.uk
JANUARY 3rd-5th 2025: NEW YEAR RETREAT
‘Creating Hope – Using the Giving Voice Process, a life-enhancing tool’
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We’re very excited to be running a retreat again – the first for many years. It will be held in East Yorkshire. People can come for the whole weekend (Friday to Sunday) or just for Saturday 4th Jan.
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​To register your interest and to find out more, send us an email. You will need to have a copy of the book – to purchase one click here or buy one at the event. Limited places left. Final bookings by 7th December.
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PAST EVENTS
August 2024
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Global Challenging Times drawing on the Giving Voice Process, with Jill
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These occasional sessions, held in February, May and August can help address some of the issues presented by the horror stories going on in the Middle East and elsewhere, and their impact on individuals and communities.
“I feel I’ve been given something really useful, something very precious”
MONTHLY GV for Peace session with Caroline,
alternating between Thursdays and Tuesdays, 7.15pm for 7.30pm:
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These short sessions are for people who desire peace – in our lives and in the world – and who also wish to develop (greater) skill in finding and promoting it, to strengthen the capacity to resist its opposite, and who are open to learning how song can support and teach us in this regard.
“My understanding of what love is changed”
*There is no charge for the above online events, but donations are most welcome, either by:
Bank Transfer, National Foundation for Giving Voice 09-06-66 41174782
Or by PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/nfg
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July 2024
TWO IMMINENT IN-PERSON GIVING VOICE (GV) EVENTS
which may be of particular interest to anyone in and around North of England, whether complete newcomers to GV or not:
SATURDAY 27TH JULY: Rachel is offering GV at ‘Restival’, a day-long festival in Sowerby Bridge.
Cost for the day: super early-bird tickets £22, available till 11th July (£33/£44 after that)
Venue: SOUL Wellness Hub, Burnley Road, Sowerby Bridge, HX6 2TL
Rachel’s session is from 11.45 - 1pm.
More info: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/soulwellnesshub1/1285172 and
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/KLN8BRsoucEZ8UUs/
SUNDAY 28th JULY: Jill is offering an illustrative participatory talk at 2pm in Halifax. The focus will be: “Developing Inner Companionship Through Song”, and there’ll be much to take away, to build on in the future – whether you sing or not.
Venue: Yorkshire Mind Body Soul Summer Fayre, Lightcliffe Academy Sports Centre, Stoney Lane, Lightcliffe, Halifax, HX3 8TL.
We’re also having a stall at this event – from 11am till 3pm.
NB Arrive after 12pm if you want to miss any big queues to get in.
Cost: Jill's session is free, however entrance into the event is £5 on the day or £4 in advance.
We have a few free tickets, so if you plan on coming let us know ASAP and we can leave one for you at the door.
More details about the Fayre here https://www.trancefixt.uk/talks and here https://www.facebook.com/mindbodysoulfayre
It’s the first time in a long while that Jill has done an in-person event, let alone one like this, and it would be lovely to see a few familiar friendly faces – if you can pop by and say hello we’d love to see you!
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2023 ONLINE ‘MINI-COURSES’ on
Developing Inner Companionship through Song with Jill and/or Caroline
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'It was wonderful, I loved it! and I wasn’t initially feeling like attending because I was drawn to going out for a walk instead!’
‘It was really really helpful. I really bonded with the book (because it’s such a big book, I’d found it a bit daunting initially), and I worked out how to access the recordings. I also got a lot from hearing what others had to say’
'Lovely time. Got a lot out of it. Looking forward to being with that song/exploring more on my own’
These 2-session courses are for anyone who has a copy of the book, whether they’re new to this approach, or ‘old hands’; participants with health or care challenges particularly welcome.
What’s involved? Each course involves just two evening sessions, and is complete in itself. However much can be gained by attending more than one course. No musical or vocal expertise is needed, and no-one will be required to sing to the rest of the online group.
Dates:
Mondays 30th Jan and 6th Feb 7pm-9pm AND/OR Book through eventbrite
Wednesdays 19th and 26th April 7pm-9pm AND/OR Book through eventbrite
Mondays 17th and 24th July 7pm-9pm AND/OR Book through eventbrite
Thursdays 5th and 12th Oct 7pm-9pm Book through eventbrite
NB participants need to attend both sessions of whichever course(s) they attend.
Price: the fee is nominal – £10 for each course – but bursaries are still available for the seriously overstretched (and for those who aren’t please feel free to add a bit extra to help us keep providing bursaries – both for courses and books). The courses are all free to Foundation Members.
Book either through the Eventbrite links above or by emailing us info@givingvoicefoundation.org.uk and paying below
Payment: you can pay either by Bank Transfer: National Foundation for Giving Voice 09-06-66 41174782
Or by PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/nfgv
What you will need: you will need your copy of the book, a reasonably good internet/zoom connection, and to be in a space where you can avoid interruption. If you are ill and in bed, or need to be lying down, that’s fine.
Please book in good time (places will be limited)
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December 2022
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First online mini course on
Developing Inner Companionship through Song with Jill and Caroline
October 2022
Inner Resources for Challenging Times through Unlocking the Power of Song
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Saturday 15th October, 10:30 to 1pm in Heeley Sheffield. Led by Caroline Thorpe
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For more information and booking please contact Caroline
September 2022
Caroline is offering a session in the Findhorn Unitarian Network their zoom meditation series. This open to anyone and takes place on Saturday 24 September at 10:00 am, or on Tuesday 27th September at 9:30 am. Please respond to funtomeditate@gmail.com indicating which session you want - you may register for both.
June 2022
In June, Caroline shared Say I Love You to the World (No. 19 from our book) with the Unitarian Women’s League in Sheffield. People were surprised they didn’t need to sing, “Wasn’t at all what I expected, and I really enjoyed it”.
Also in June, Caroline joined Rachel in sharing All the Doors of my House (No. 16 from our book) at a women’s summer camp. Although it was only a half-hour session squeezed in between other events, it was clear from the responses afterwards how many people had a surprisingly profound experience.
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Developing your Inner Resources through Song - Special Online Event
In June we offered a special online event for Being Well in Suffolk’s Life Lounge, where Jill Rakusen, founder of Giving Voice (GV), introduced this unique and invaluable resource for life.
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At the event Jill shared how she created and developed this approach for her own needs when challenged by illness, how she began teaching it to others, and how they in turn have gone on to use it in their lives, often to powerful effect. She offered a brief ‘taster’, together with pointers on how the experience could be built on after the event. Author of our new book, Unlocking the Power of Song – A Companion for Challenging Times, she gave an idea of what it can offer. Forged with love, it’s a beautiful, companionable resource that's full of inspirational stories of how people have used GV in their lives, plus clear step-by-step guidance and ‘handy hints’ on how you can do this too. And much else besides.
If you would like us to offer a similar event for you and your friends or organisation, let us know. Copies of the book can be made available at a discount for people who attend.
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April 2022
In April Jill gave a brief five-minute introduction to the book for Action for Elders’ Book Group, and it was voted ‘best book’ out of the books introduced that day. Here’s a video of what she said –
This was recorded during an extremely hot day in March, hence Jill’s sunhat.
It’s an amateur video with background noises; however, feedback has encouraged us to share it here, even though the camera pans around people’s feet to protect their privacy.
More info about the song, and what it can offer in our lives using the Giving Voice Process, can be found in our book.