Connections from Clydebank to Lewis

Moments of Freedom is a project led by New Scot women in Clydebank, in partnership with Outside the Box and West Dunbartonshire Council. In this blog the group shares how their online event with women in Lewis went.

Building connections among women

“We are all books and each woman is more than one story- we should never judge a book by its cover.”

We hosted an online cultural sharing storytelling event, with older women living in Trust Housing in Lewis. This was an incredible experience of learning about the history of life for women on the island and seeing the parallels of women from different generations across two different cultures.  As women we have so many stories to share – no person is one story – we are all books and should never judge a book by its cover.

Shared stories and experiences

We told each other about the challenges of lockdown and learned that one of the women from Lewis had moved into Trust Housing just as lockdown hit, meaning she had to get used to a whole new way of living without the support of seeing family. This resonated so much with us as a group. The stories we shared highlighted what home means, and the ways it can affect your identity and how people perceive you.

When we came to Scotland, many of us were forced to leave older loved ones, so having the opportunity to connect with the older women from Lewis was a privilege. During the session we realised how much we have in common in terms of our roles and expectations as women, how much older role models have shaped our childhood and influenced how we bring up our own children. This has and given us the resilience to be who we are today.