Libraries & Storytelling Workshops for Resilience

Dear friends & family, 

While our world is in turmoil, our little grassroots initiative is still attempting to make a positive impact through its libraries and storytelling experiences. Year over year, our projects are developing further and we are excited to share the following developments with you:

• New Library in Berlin (Gemeinschaftsunterkunft Warschauer Platz):  We're very excited to announce that we are opening a new library to serve the local refugee community in Berlin! In collaboration with Familienzentrum Wrangelkiez, we are providing children’s books, shelves and learning resources for the establishment of a multilingual reading space in this refugee accommodation.

• Reopened Library in Casablanca (Child Protection Centre Abdeslam Bennani): We recently renovated and reopened one of our very first libraries, originally launched in 2018, to support girls who have experienced trauma, including abandonment and legal challenges. In addition to the renovation, we procured new furniture, books, and organised a special reopening event with the support of our Lilipad librarian Samira. This project is very close to our hearts and has been one of our most rewarding. We also had the opportunity to organise our first ever artistic workshops there, a full day of activities, creative writing and theatre expression with the support of incredible local facilitators, a published author and a theatre programs specialist.

• Summer Break Workshops Closing (GU Britz, Treptow & Columbiadamm): We wrapped up the summer break storytelling workshops for youth in various locations across Berlin, funded by local foundations GLS, Pfefferwerk and Auf Augenhöhe. For these, we acquired an amazing selection of Arabic kids and youth books from the indie Arabic bookstore Khan al Janub - check them out for some great reading events in Berlin and don't forget to support your local bookstore when purchasing books ;)

These are some highlights but we have been working on much more behind the scenes. Stay tuned for our 2024 Annual Report which is provide a much more comprehensive overview of our work and impact.

As always: Thank you so much for the continous support. None of this would have been possible without the support of donors like yourself.

Yours,
The Lilipad Team

Links:

• https://www.lilipadlibrary.org/