The final week came way faster than I had imagined. With the school term drawing to a close and Fighting Words wrapping up their last workshops of the season, Aoife generously gave me some free time to go and explore Northern Ireland (I went to Giants Causeway)!

The most significant moment of the week was a sit-down meeting with Aoife that I had asked for. I wanted to discuss what a potential continuation of my collaboration with Fighting Words might look like, and so I walked her through my Laidlaw research in more detail and proposed creating an original workshop—one that would blend my research on happy endings as structural resilience devices with Fighting Words' ethos, drawing on everything I'd observed and learned over the past five weeks. Aoife was open to the idea, and I've already begun drafting an outline. The hope is to have it ready in time for their 2026 summer workshops, and I'm really excited to see where it goes.

Fighting Words also organised a small coffee chat for volunteers to mark the end of term, which was a warm, easy way to say goodbyes and connect with the rest of the team on a more informal note than the usual workshop bustle allows for.

My final workshop was on Thursday, with a non-profit working with homeless youth, a group ranging from eighteen to twenty-five. The turnout was small, but the session felt meaningful in a way that was hard to articulate. It was fascinating to watch the same Fighting Words structure produce something entirely different with an older group—more reflective, more layered. I was the illustrator for the session, tasked with capturing their first chapter on the page, which felt like a fittingly full-circle way to end. I came away hoping very much that it won't be the last time our paths cross.