Lyfta provides a first person experience through which students can learn about the lives of other people in very diverse situations, and through discovery and reflection, gain a deeper understanding of themselves.
It does this in a non-judgemental way. There is no particular agenda. Just stories told and explored through the accounts of their subjects. They include big themes, such as democracy, enterprise, body image, prejudice, forced marriage and family planning, which might prove difficult to frame in the normal run of the timetable. But when brought up through the voice of a 15 year old schoolgirl, a 56 year old taxi driver, or a ballet dancer at the peak of his career, pupils can connect with those experiences, at whatever level they are working at, and ask further questions of each other and their teachers.
When sitting down for dinner with single parent Muhammed and his 9 year old daughter, there is no need for a translation or transcript, just being in the same space as them is powerful enough. It is a scenario that we can all relate to, but one which we will all experience differently, albeit with universal themes. Not just the daily questions about school and work, or catching up on news of friends or family, but also the sense of sustaining and nourishing each other, of caring about our families, and the roles of parents and siblings.
The materials themselves provide a rich, multi-sensory learning environment, which can be further enhanced with a little thought and planning. The weaving room of Awra Amba provides a background rhythmic tattoo of looms clattering and shuttles running through threads which can be recreated with sticks and stamps in the classroom. The cloth they make can be felt and smelt, rubbed and pulled apart before weaving your own with paper strips or string.
