One small thing, one small change…

This week it was a pleasure to work with Koestler Arts in introducing trauma-informed practice within an arts organisation. Koestler Arts is an incredible organisation, running an exhibitions and awards programme that celebrate artwork created by people in prison.

The training explored:

• Understanding trauma and how it impacts people

• Trauma-informed principles in practice – safe & supportive approaches when working alongside communities with lived experience
• Looking after ourselves and each other – Emotional labour & staff wellbeing
• The 3 levels of care: self-care, team care & organisational care

At the end of every training session, I ask participants one simple question:

“What’s one small action you’ll take straight away?”

Not a complete overhaul. Not a new strategy. Just one change they can implement immediately.

Here’s what they wrote:

Introduce meetings with no agenda for team reflection. 

Making time to have check ins after sessions and counting that as part of the ‘work’ rather than an ‘if we have time’ type thing.

Thinking about how we could locate or create a quiet space in the building during our curation sessions.

Make time for team debriefs after friends and family days.

Think about how we can make sure mentors can create quiet, safe spaces at every mentoring session.

I think better acknowledging “continuous” informed consent – thinking of how to make people feel comfortable if they want to.

_{^{Yellow Man, Fromeside Clinic, Platinum Award for Sculpture, 2017}}

Start small to build big.

Small actions like these are how culture changes – one conversation, one habit and one act of care at a time. Trauma-informed practice is not something we implement simply for our community groups or service users – it’s a holistic approach. It starts with us. The staff. How we treat each other, as well as how we work with the public.

It was a privilege to spend time with such a committed and reflective team.

If you’re interested in bringing trauma-informed practice into your arts or cultural organisation, I’d love to hear from you.

^{Queen Mother of Africa, HM Prison Dovegate, Painting, acrylic & ceramic on board, 2021}