Ms Helen East
Personal Statement: A “leading light in the revival of storytelling in Europe,” Helen writes both for, and with children, regarding ‘oracy’ and ‘literacy’ as the left and right hands of learning. Through working with oral and written story she fosters both. Born in Sri Lanka, she lived and travelled all over the world, Africa to Australia to the America’s; India to Iceland to Indonesia, writing, teaching, learning and sharing stories with everyone, presidential parties, pensioners, pre-schoolers, children with learning difficulties to educationalists, urban youth to families on forest walks. Helen has also directed numerous initiatives across the UK( mixed media, writing/book-making, multi-lingual, oral history, environmental, ‘pride of place’ etc. She has an Institute of Education PGCE focussing on Early Years, literacy and music, and pioneered a story based element within the National Literacy Framework (‘Expanding the Frame’)
