Early years practitioner mentoring opportunity

Amanda Edmiston working with young families.

Amanda Edmiston has been a professional storyteller for over 15 years. Her personal practice as Botanica Fabula Herbal Storytelling has focused on interdisciplinary workshops, storytelling sessions and long-term projects connecting participants to stories which reveal aspects of people’s connection to the natural environment and the way we work with plants.

Amanda says:

"My practice developed when my mum: professional storyteller Jean Edmiston mentored me after I'd had my first child and was trying to find a creative practice and career that allowed me to work with my young daughter in tow.

My mum had been a professional storyteller for over 20 tears and previously had been a textile artist, her cross arts approach to storytelling had been unique and she saw the potential for me to integrate my knowledge of herbal medicine with traditional storytelling to create a new interdisciplinary way of working.

Essentially it was her work with early years children/parent and child groups that I worked with, using it specifically in areas to instigate and explore social change, environmental awareness and bring creative approaches to nurseries and early years settings who were exploring sustainability and positive cohesive community building, adding my own creative elements.

I was also at the time learning from contemporary dance artist and choreographer Rosina Bonsu and taking first steps into teaching children’s dance and movement, delivering sessions on occasion for The Dance House in Glasgow and dance and movement continues to be something I value highly when storytelling in early years settings.

Over the years my practice has developed, with opportunities and new projects expanding its reach and scope. I have established a network of early years settings and schools with young children with additional support needs, who now value creative interdisciplinary storytelling as an important addition to their programmes. But as my own children have got older and other areas of my practice have grown I feel it is time to bring someone else in to take on the early years sessions.

I would love to keep the connection going and expand this aspect of my work by sharing it with another professional. I do not see this as a purely storytelling practice, there are great storytellers in Scotland. But I know there is an important aspect of mine and my mum's practice that works very differently which in many ways makes this opportunity more attuned to coming from a different discipline.

Layering sensory elements are at its core, scents, tastes, visual elements, percussive sound effects and elements from a background of movement practice knowledge, have been incorporated over the years and I envisage this process of layering will be continued by the artist taking it on, offering someone the opportunity to add new dimensions and reinvent what we have developed.”

The mentee will require PVG scheme membership and will need to undertake becoming a member of Equity as a 'variety' member, to ensure they have adequate public liability cover. They will also require a full UK driving licence, be prepared to travel, read a recommended reading list that will help develop a sense of the breadth of use and value of therapeutic, interdisciplinary, multisensory, creative storytelling.

Previous mentees have worked on a skill swap basis and whilst we are seeking dedicated funding to allow this work to take place without loss of income, Amanda is open to suggestions of other equitable options.

Mentees would be able to shadow Amanda during a range of appropriate sessions and then be able to put the skills into practice alongside her and receive ongoing support, with Scene Stirling and Artlink Central also offering support and networking opportunities. In order to fit with current bookings and proposed work timetable Amanda is hoping the process will begin in February 2025, with the successful applicant able to take professional bookings from June 2025.

Once the mentoring period has been completed, Amanda would hope to add the collaborative partner to her website, continue to offer support and guidance on developing the storytelling aspect of their practice and additional networking, with support opportunities continued to be offered by Scene Stirling and Artlink Central. Amanda would also be making introductions to schools and other venues in the Stirlingshire/Clackmannanshire and Perthshire area.

If you are interested in this opportunity please send any questions and/or a brief CV and personal covering letter with links to websites/social media to botanicafabula@gmail.com or get in touch and we’ll add you to the mailing list for forthcoming related opportunities!