RELLOTGE XXI 28.

05 2018
Selin Aksoy

Personal Project – Another Happy End

We all grew up listening to the

mesmerizing story-tales at
night, in which the female
character has always been
waiting for her ‘saviour’ who
comes and rescues her from
difficult situations. More or less
all such tales end with the
grand marriage of the female
and her saviour, and they
continue living happily after,
i.e. ‘The Happy End’. The Sleeping Beauty written by Grimmy Bruder is not much of a different story;
however, my version of such stories aims to offers more than conventional concepts of the above-
mentioned ‘Happy Endings’. With an aim to critically analyse the gender roles in our society, as well
as, inspire and promote creativity among the kids, I would like to organise an activity with the
youngsters at the Youth Center Rellotge XXI. The actual course of action for this activity is discussed
in detail starting from the following paragraph. The activity is designed in a manner, to promote
teamwork among the kids and arouse their problem-solving skills. Whereas, each sub-activity has the
potential to catalyse subject-specific interests, ranging from Geography to Biology, and the English
language.

The group of 24 kids from the youth center will be divided into two equal and mixed groups. The
activity will take place on two consecutive Tuesdays, i.e. 5th and 12th of June 2018. On the days of
activity, the group is further divided into two smaller groups, each with 6 kids.
The activity begins with storytelling and the kids will listen to ‘La bella durmiente’ until just before
the conventional ‘Happy End’, where the princess wakes-up from her endless sleep to marry the
prince. The ending will be replaced with alternative phrases, such as: ‘Bella goes on a world tour’,
‘Bella goes to the university’, and ‘Bella goes on to be a Superstar’. Therefore, each of the above-
mentioned endings form the theme for the sub-activities, which will be carried out at three different
stations within the activity’s periphery.
The first station with the theme/phrase ‘Bella goes on a world tour’, will tickle the creative
capabilities of kids, along with providing them with a chance to revise their classroom learnings on
geography. There will be cut-outs with names of different continents, and pictures from each
RELLOTGE XXI 28. 05 2018
Selin Aksoy

continent, provided at this station, and the kids will be tasked to employ their teamwork and
interpersonal skills, to order the names of continents with corresponding correct pictures. Once the
pictures and names of continents are in the right order, Bella can continue her world tour, which
however, is not as simple as it seems, as oceans flow in-between the continents and Bella’s
remarkable journey can only be through the right islands so to be successful. To complete the activity
successfully, the kids have to collaborate within the designated timeframe of 15 minutes at each
station, and the goal cannot be achieved without teamwork!

Once the designated time runs out, the kids will move to the next station, with the theme ‘Bella goes
to the University to be an architect or a doctor’. The kids are expected to take part in a building
project, where the materials will be provided at the station, using which, the kids will do a team
effort to build a 3D monument. In addition, Bella has a profound interest in Biology; therefore, the
kids will help Bella achieve her goal by putting the human organs in right places, on a pre-prepared
drawing of human skeleton. During both of these activities, kids are encouraged to look for the
hidden clues, that will in-turn help them in performing the last activity successfully. The hidden clues
will comprise of dance moves, which will come in handy for the kids to do the last, but not the least
fun activity, i.e. dance together in a big group of 12!
In the last station Bella Durmiente is a renowned and passionate dancer, and the kids in-turn are
expected to dance at this station on loud music, and once the music stops, the kids are instructed to
stop their movements and stay still in their unique dance positions.
At the end of all these sub-activities, kids will have a chance to draw and print their favourite
characters from the fairy-tales they know, and perhaps say some phrases about what they would like
their unique favourite characters to become, rather than just married couples, the societal figurative
for a ‘happy ever after’. The motto is to let them understand and digest through this activity that
they can become Anything and Everything, just like Bella Durmiente!