CHAPTER 22 – TWO FREEDOM WRITERS 2021MY YEAR IN 2O21

So much has changed and happened this year, in such a short space of time. The year feels like it has gone in a matter of weeks but, in reality, it has gone by very slowly.

My name is Katinka and I was born on the 1st of March 2010, in London. I am eleven years old and I am an only child. I go to The Acorn School and I am in class 6. My dad is a structural engineer and my mum was an IT consultant and is re-training to be an iridologist.

When I was three, I started at a Steiner kindergarten called The Children’s Garden in Richmond. I went there until I was six. From a young age, I would play with wooden blocks and other Steiner toys. When I was six, I taught myself to read and write. I am now an avid reader and have read Edgar Allan Poe, George Elliott, Robert Louis Stevenson and Alexander Pushkin. I also love Shakespeare. My mum never bought me any toys made of plastic and we have never had a TV. This is not because we can’t afford one but because she wants me to be creative and to have my own mind. My mum always makes sure we go out for a walk every day and, when I was younger, she would regularly take me to Richmond Park. Then I didn’t appreciate what my mum and dad did for me, but I am now beginning to realise how lucky I am.

This year has been a bumpy one. The Covid lockdowns and online learning have been hard. I have wanted to be an actress for four and a half years and, over the past few months, I have become increasingly more fixated on my dream career.

During the lockdowns, it was hard, because I had no way of communicating with my friends. I have no mobile and will not be getting one until I am fourteen. This, I am not concerned about any more, whereas a few months ago, I was. I love my school and I love going there. I feel almost as happy as I do there as at home or when I see a film crew. I feel safe, included and I am always excited for the start of a new term or the next school week.

Though everyone at school and at home have been supportive of my dream career, sometimes I feel there is no hope. Then, I remember that in my eyes, nothing is impossible and nothing will stop me.

Every child has a dream, and for the ones who aren’t as lucky as me, I encourage you to never give up hope, and always believe in yourself.

Times change and so do people. But I know I will never change. No matter how many tragic or amazing things may happen, I will always be me.

Katinka (age 11) November 2021

MY YEAR IN 2021

I must start by writing that my strong sense of imagination may mean I have a different way of looking at life to the reader.

One of the things I love about 2021’s world is that some of the technology is used well… but some of it isn’t. The tech that is used well is amazing – for example, new musical instruments and DJ digital mix pads (I love music) or fairground rides and theme parks. But some technological pleasures can damage our emotional and intellectual energy or be used for bad aims. High tech weapons have been used. In the early 20th century, some governments had already developed a weapon that could kill hundreds of people in a matter of seconds. You may say this is not tech, but in my opinion, back then it was. I don’t think of tech as just being a laptop or a phone. I think of it as something advanced made by humanity. In the mid-1940s countries already had a weapon so powerful it could destroy a whole city and all the people in it. The first demonstration of the nuclear bomb was in Japan in August 1945. Shortly after that, the war between the USA and Japan had ended after hundreds of thousands of deaths – on both sides. And, of course, this was part of one of the huge wars of humanity. World War Two claimed the lives of 80 million people – largely down to technological advances.

Another huge experience – and something I hold as very important in my life – is creating stories. I’ve loved it since I could do it. For me, it’s like going to a dream world. It comes into my mind, I act it in my imagination, and then I write it. I think that is incredible. Sometimes I wonder whether machines will some day be able to become creatives that can write. In my opinion, the imagination of a human is unique. Music is a great example. What really helps me is listening to music while I act out a thought in my mind. About a year ago, I wrote a whole scene in my head. It starts off in a major city. The music track I chose for this scene was one I’d heard a couple of months before. The scene starts off with a man or woman on top of a skyscraper with a helicopter parked on a giant H on the roof. But of course, if it were another person’s brain some years ago, it might have been a hot air balloon rising from one field to another. The helicopter, in modern day, would take off. The figure on the skyscraper would jump onto the helicopter or hot air balloon, wrestle for control, and land the flying object effortlessly. This shows the power of imagination. I created that scene in five minutes. Could a machine do that?

Now, my last topic. I have always loved space due to the sheer infinite expanse outside the atmosphere. What I love about it, is it is almost entirely unexplored beyond our moon. With today’s technology we can only get so far. There could be anything out there. And I personally believe that there is much more life in the Universe. I fear if we found any of the other worlds, we would just mine it or use it as a scrap heap. I’m happy this hasn’t happened in 2021.

We shouldn’t use the space in other worlds. We must use our incredible imaginations to look after the Earth and planet we have and continue creating stories that trigger a whole range of emotions. But whatever the technological advances, we must always be sure to bring joy, happiness and laughter through human creativity.

Luc (age 11) November 2021