This is a teaching resource for SHINE, a teen novel by Candy Gourlay. In Shine, the heroine Rosa suffers from a condition called the Calm and must hide in a tower because of the stigma. This resource begins a discussion of whether the Calm is a real medical condition then goes on to encourage reflection on maladiess that suffer from stigma and the state of being 'Other'.

1. Candy Gourlay’s
R E A D I N G R E S O U R C E S
IS THE
CALMFOR REAL
?

2. IN SHINE, ROSA SUFFERS FROM A
CONDITION CALLED ‘THE CALM’ AND MUST
HIDE AWAY IN A TOWER BECAUSE IN
MIRASOL, PEOPLE LIKE HER ARE
CONSIDERED MONSTERS.
“
”
THIS IS NOT A GHOST STORY,
THOUGH THERE ARE PLENTY OF
GHOSTS IN IT. AND IT’S NOT A
HORROR STORY, THOUGH SOME
PEOPLE WILL BE HORRIFIED. IT’S NOT
A MONSTER STORY EITHER, THOUGH
THERE IS A MONSTER IN IT AND
THAT MONSTER HAPPENS TO BE ME.

3. W H A T D O
YOUTHINK
?YES
NO
I S T H E C A L M F O R R E A L ?

4. DO
YOU
KNOW
ANYBODY
WITH
A
DISEASE
LIKE
THE
CALM?
HAVE
YOU
HEARD
OF
PEOPLE
LIKE
ROSA
WHO
LIVE
ISOLATED
LIVES
BECAUSE
THEY
SUFFER
FROM
A
MEDICAL
CONDITION?
DO
YOU
KNOW
OF
MEDICAL
CONDITIONS
THAT
FRIGHTEN
PEOPLE?
SOME
QUESTIONS
TO
HELP
YOU
MAKE
UP
YOUR
MIND

5. NO
I F Y O U A N S W E R E D
Y O U A R E R I G H T . T H E C A L M I S A
F I C T I O N A L D I S E A S E .

6. YES
I F Y O U A N S W E R E D
T H E C A L M I S F I C T I O N A L B U T Y O U A R E
C O R R E C T T O R E C O G N I S E T H A T
I T I S B A S E D O N R E A L I T Y .

7. IN THE MIDDLE AGES,
LEPROSY INSPIRED LOATHING
INSTEAD OF SYMPATHY. LEPERS
WERE ISOLATED, FORCED TO CARRY
CLAPPERS OR BELLS TO WARN
PEOPLE THATTHEY WERE
APPROACHING. IN ENGLAND,
ANYONE WHO HARBOURED A LEPER
WAS IMPRISONED AND LEPERS
WERE PREVENTED FROM ENTERING
THE GATES OF LONDON.

8. TODAY, MANY PEOPLE WHO
SUFFER FROM MEDICAL CONDITIONS
STILL EXPERIENCE STIGMA.
CAN YOU THINK OF SOME EXAMPLES?
WHY DO YOU THINK STIGMA
HAPPENS?

9. H E R E A R E S O M E C A M P A I G N S D E A L I N G W I T H
STIGMA

15. SKIN COLOUR, DISABILITY,
AGE, RELIGION, MENTAL
ILLNESS … MANY SECTORS OF
SOCIETY CAN FIND
THEMSELVES JUDGED FOR
THEIR ‘OTHERNESS’.THIS
THEME SEEMS TO SURFACE IN
ALL MY STORIES. I GUESS IT
MUST BE BECAUSE OF MY
OWN EXPERIENCE OF BEING A
FOREIGNER BUILDING A LIFE
IN A COUNTRY NOT MY OWN.
CANDY
GOURLAY
AUTHOR
OF
SHINE

16. F A N C Y A L I T T L E P R O J E C T ?

17. PLAN
A
CAMPAIGN
TO
END
THE
STIGMA
OF
THE
CALM
IN
MIRASOL,
USING
VIDEO,
SOCIAL
MEDIA,
POSTERS
OR
RADIO.
HOW
CAN
YOU
BEST
PERSUADE
THE
PEOPLE
OF
MIRASOL
THAT
THEY
HAVE
NOTHING
TO
FEAR
FROM
THE
CALM?

18. I ’ D LO V E T O H E A R A B O U T A N Y P R OJ E C T S
T H AT R E S U LT F R O M T H I S
R E A D I N G R E S O U R C E . D O G E T I N T O U C H
V I A T H E C O N TA C T F O R M O N
W W W. C A N D Y G O U R L AY. C O M
T H A N K Y O U F O R R E A D I N G !
Candy Gourlay
©
Candy
Gourlay,
2016