Predencia Dixon
Predencia Dixon (nee Gabbidon) was born in Jamaica and moved to England at the age of ten. She’s a teacher who spent nearly twenty years working with children and young people with severely challenging behaviours, all of whom had been abused in some way. She qualified as a training manager in 1993 and was commissioned by the Department of Health to write induction and training books for all staff in secure accommodation and children’s homes. Her second book ‘Preparing to Care’, with co-author Barry Goldson, was a best seller for publisher National Children’s Bureau. She’s written for children, parents, child care workers, and youth justice workers.
In 2004, Predencia was commissioned to write the national training programme for the Youth Justice Board for England and Wales. She has conducted international workshops in Europe and in the Caribbean.
In 2010, she published a collection of poems, (Raw Volumes 1 & 2), which is accompanied by a double CD. Her first novel Dare to Love, a Caribbean story set in Barbados is due for publication in August 2011. She is currently working on a book of short stories, a play and a film script.
In her spare time, Predencia enjoys amateur dramatics, performing poetry, and belly dancing.
Predencia Dixon’s Speakers’ Corner Presentation
Predencia will be performing a number of poems from her collection RAW Volumes 1 and 2. Her performance will take her audience into the highs and lows of encounters between lovers, and would be lovers. She will journey into the joys of being a parent, of bereavement, murder, and statelessness. She’ll draw on some of her most intimate experiences to highlight the precariousness of the search for soul mates. Yet, somewhere in all of these big issues she’ll present you with opportunities to laugh at yourself.
Parenting Workshop with Predencia Dixon:
Can You Fix My Child?
This question is one I’m frequently asked by parents struggling to make sense of their children’s behaviour. Some want to know if I can manage issues such as school non-attendance, lack of interest in family values, substance misuse, and inappropriate sexual behaviour. Others want to know if I can help their child to fulfil their true potential, be more respectful, and get on better with siblings. This workshop explores effective ways for parents to create or re-create loving, harmonious relationships with their children.