We were very fortunate to have such an incredible speaker in Charlotte Gibbs who leads a special publishing company called TOITOI.
The passionate Charlotte Gibbs is the head of TOITOI and met Chris H. through a chance cold call promoting her business that engages and publishes young writers and artists from 5-13 years old – and particularly reluctant boy writers.
TOITOI is a quarterly journal for young writers and artists by journal New Zealand children. Toi as a noun means art, knowledge and as a verb to excite, inspire, incite and motivate and put them together and you TOITOI. Charlotte said it’s not only about the writing but also the art. TOITOI celebrates the ideas, imaginations and creative spirit of the young writers and artists. Her heartfelt belief is that their work has purpose and deserves a wide audience.
She has “three nerdy daughters who love reading” and the second daughter won the US Poem Laureate. Charlotte was a stay at home for 10 years and has a publishing background initially publishing at the local school - Buxton. She showed children the beauty and value of writing so they would want to read it. Charlotte sent the National Journal of Art for Young People to all schools in 2015 and to her surprise received 600 submissions. That year was the ANZAC 100 commemoration so a large number of submitted pieces of writing and art reflected this.
TOITOI publishes material with an original and authentic voice that other young people can connect to and be inspired by and that reflects the cultures and experiences of life in New Zealand. Their philosophy is to treat young writers and artists with respect, handle their work with care and produce a beautifully designed journal of high quality that reflects how much we value and admire them.
Every term, TOITOI invites young writers and artists to submit a creative and original piece in English or te reo Maori that reflects the cultures and experiences of life in New Zealand. There are no themes as imagination cannot be stifled. The writing is then matched with the artwork. It encourages young people to be actively engaged in their own learning and indeed one such young person was a political cartoonist! The students are acknowledged for their published work at school assembly where they are presented with two published books.
Charlotte secured funding that enabled her to publish 30 journals and teacher support material for low decile schools. A box of 30 books costs $960, which is $8.00 per book. The first book in te reo Maori has recently been published. This year she is piloting a programme with six schools in partnership with PWC and their corporate staff to read to school pupils.
In closing Charlotte wants TOITOI to develop curiosity and courage in young people; she sincerely believes art can save the world – and magic can happen.
“There's nothing more powerful than seeing one's work published and realising it has an audience.” Teacher, Waterview Primary School