Feedback

“The teachers are very excited about the feedback that the children gave you. We realise that we overlooked a lot of children that we thought were incapable of doing anything really…we really need to have a different perspective. They were putting together sentences and we’ve never had that kind of response from them before. Children that have never spoken English to me were suddenly willing to describe their pictures in English…it became a little speech…and we can build on that!” — Linda Fodor, a primary school teacher in a town in the Great Karoo

“After being introduced to the Footnotes system with your lecture, I investigated it further reading your book, ‘In Search Of Words’. It was amazing, I would read about ways of working and thinking and could personally identify with so many of them, things I thought were ‘wrong’ with me. Also, I see my children and struggles they have with studies at school reflected in this book. We, my children and I, are so excited about learning of Footnotes, and feel that at last we’ve found a note taking system which has many applications, that can work for us!” — Maths educator and parent

“Hi Oliver, You really have opened our minds. In our school we are having children who we are calling slow learners because they cannot read and write. Thank you for explaining everything to us, and showing us the program. Even the children who were regarded as having disabilities were able to translate words into pictures! I think all the things you have explained and showed to us will be useful in school. Especially to assist all the learners that are unable to read or write.” — Teacher at a Western Cape Education Department training day

“I think these methods will help us a lot. The creative aspects that are attached to it seriously gives hope to complement the writing and teaching ability of our the learners. Thank you.” — Teacher at a school in a town in the Great Karoo

“I came with the team to South Africa because I know Footnotes works for specific learning difficulties in the UK and I wanted to see what it could bring to South Africa and what I as a UK doctor could bring. And what I have seen is the enormity of the problem but I’ve also seen the excitement of the people who have adopted the programme. The people we met have asked for more and I believe if we return with a team of specialists with Oliver we could be really effective in promoting change, and bring some help to this really troubled part of the world.” — UK based GP

“I’ve learnt a lot from what I heard and I even feel that my dream has come true today and so I have to speak about it! I have had a dream, but I’ve not known how to approach it before today. The Footnotes workshop showed me that it was easy to do and now I know that my dream can be real! I would love to make a business, to have a shop selling food…so I want people to hear…pull up your feet…opportunity is out there and it’s in our hands, you just need to use it.” — Moota, Living at the ‘Place of Hope’ shelter for abused woman and children, Cape Town

“What I’ve liked about the workshop is that although most of the teenagers are unable to read and write, they were able to draw in the sixteen box grid their feelings their challenges but also what inspires them. They did this in a very short time and I could see that the learners were engaging well with the program. I had been worried how they would engage but instead the young men decided to sing at the end of the session, which is a thing they like to do when they are happy. So I feel the session went very well.” — Faith, Education Facilitator, Amy Biehl Foundation

“This is a very new thing for me. It’s the first time I’ve translated sentences to pictures… I translated what’s in my mind and in my heart and in my feelings to drawing… I think it’s a good, amazing thing, that makes you understand yourself better.” — Ari, Aid Worker from Kurdistan

“As an OT I have experienced through taking Footnotes to South Africa how multifaceted Footnotes is. There are multiple uses for many different people for different reasons. I have seen a boy who stutters use Footnotes to present in a clear articulate manner for film. I have seen young people come to realise and articulate their dreams and provide their own objectives to their own goal, I have seen facilitators of after school projects and managers come to realise the positive impact Footnotes can have on their youth programmes and teaching programmes. From spending time with Oliver I have heard amazing, truly inspiring stories of how negative behaviour, whether crime related or not can change, when the offenders remedy the error of their ways. Footnotes can be used to help with research by collecting organising and presenting in a written format at University levels. Footnotes is a programme that can be used by any person, and I want to encourage everyone to try using it.” — UK based Occupational Therapist