Why did you come?
Just interested
Working with people in transition
Broken world
Last 18 months have been so hard
COP 26 – covid
Life is a struggle
Listening is important
Working in a hospice
Loss in feeling part of a minority
Speaking about difficult issues in a non polarising way
Vaccines and viruses
Widening network of friends and support
Safe space to be vulnerable
Climate change
Climate and environmental devastation
Understanding one another’s situation
That we can encourage one another
Hearing other people and maybe something to take forward
To give something authentic, honest and meaningful for others in Porty to benefit from
What would the best outcome for today be
Grow something in Porty
Understand each other
Hearing each other
Exploring something together
Making a difference
Resilience, grief, bereavement, loss – what do these really mean?
Let’s make it really wide – grief isn’t just about death
Improving our literacy:
- Knowledge
- skills – of different levels
- community assets
- places where we can put this into action – e.g. compassionate neighbours
- wisdom of experience – having made the journey ourselves
many of these are untapped assets
What does the experience of grief and loss look like in portobello now?
Lots of people can’t even verbalise their suffering
People are more vulnerable, suffering because of what we’ve all been through – sometimes not realising how badly we’ve been affected
People are so alone they’ve lost their self worth – they used to be strong and confident, but fear of getting ill
We need a drop in centre, for a cuppa and listening
People know something is wrong
The Book Festival published 25 pieces and read them out – Truth and Reconciliation in Porty – no judgement
Taking responsibility for ourselves
People might want to talk more
Why don’t we do things for ourselves?
- We wait for experts
- We need:
- Education
- Empowerment
- Stepping out
- Confidence
- Understanding WHY
- Reaching out across difference – just one conversation can make a difference
- Connecting others
- Back in the war people spoke to one another
There’s also been a loss of opportunity for change: business, buying, travelling, consuming
Maybe more to come – need to build resilience for that.
Nuggets
- Art – integral and fundamental to human society
- Resilience – the ability to recover from setbacks, adapt well to change and keep going in the face of adversity
- The two wings of the bird: celebration and grieving – enjoy celebrating BUT don’t forget grieving
What’s already going on – or could be?
Phone check-ins once a week
Renew Wellbeing (national project)
Cafe, dropping – prayer space – could feel exclusive
caring groups linked to local surgeries – can be transformational
Redeploying our assets – using our existing spaces better
Spaces for catharsis
How do people get to know what’s going on?
Partnership working
Social media
Notice boards
Ministers of the churches
Publicans
Doctors
Councillors
Why is getting people to engage with this work difficult?
Being able to say no
It’s not my responsibility
Topic can be off putting
It might be too much for me
Building people’s courage – even before they turn up
Peer-to-peer – we’re just as vulnerable as those we’re trying to help
Taking the risk to be vulnerable with one another
Fear of looking daft
Being vulnerable
Can I really make a difference?
What could we do?
Connecting the resources in porty – in a way that builds relationships
Story telling
Weekend of spaces to record what we celebrate and what was hard:
Telling our stories – Celebrating our resilience – Sharing our loss
- Celebrating our resilience in the face of adversity – what we already have
- Sharing how it has been for us over the last 2 years
- Writing + reading it out
- Workshops
- Exhibitions – photos and artwork, pictures about loss and celebration
- Music
- Drama
- Children and young people
- Washhouse, schools
- On the street (so you can leave)
- Ceremony – e.g. rosemary wreath
- Inclusive
Communication is key
Porty Reporter
Notice boards
Effective comms
Moth radio
Gallery bus
Story wagon
Active inquiry
Truth and reconciliation commission
What do we need?
Practical support
A secular ritual to commemorate the pandemic experience
Reflections at the end
How good, refreshing, creative and encouraging it is to talk and listened together
Making a difference in the lives of all who are struggling (which is all of us at one time or another)
I forgot I needed this
Get involved! Don’t worry so much about it
Incredible things happen when we listen to each other and dare to think big
How creative people are
Heart Talk Porty 