A new Shift in Politics towards The far Right, A need to Balance out the world, the answer? Next Generation!
In November 2016, I woke up to a very different world i'd fallen asleep in. Even though I was far away from any direct change and would probably be unaffected anyway, I was uneasy at the notion that this world was shifting its ideals towards exclusion, suspicion and racism. I spent the entire morning figuring out what I could honestly do, to make any difference.
“It came to me on the bus into town. If I wrote a children's book on respect and understanding, maybe I could urge the next generation to make better choices and be less afraid of difference. ”
For the rest of the afternoon I daydreamed in work about which topics I felt were relevant to todays issues and how I would approach each one. By the time my head hit the pillow that night I had decided on ten books, ten themes and the even more essential idea of ten different, local artists to illustrate the stories. It was so important to remember that although we are conveying a heavy message it needed to be delivered in a light hearted and fun way.
What's in a Name?
Within the next couple of months I began a business course in order to learn how best to set up a small company. I was determined to make my book series non for profit. I wanted to sell the books to schools and families and then ensure 100% of the profits go to charities linked with the book topic. In order to do this I needed to make myself a Charity. I struggled for weeks to come up with a name that wasn't too sentimental or cheesy. One day my mum effortlessly turned around and said "Well what's the last line you wrote in the environment book... A Change Can Happen or something? Go with that" and thus the series was formed.
I spent the next couple of months organising my thoughts, creating a business model and getting in touch with a couple of artists I knew to spread the word that I was looking for ten illustrators. It wasn't until February of 2017 that I was ready to unveil the idea. After discussing it with an Editor and a potential benefactor and getting the go ahead from all the artists, I began to write. By March 2017 we were up and running. All we needed was money.