Responding to hardship: Collective narrative practices
Narrative ways of working with individuals, groups and communities
A five day workshop facilitated
by Cheryl White & David Denborough with Barbara Wingard as a special
guest
February
9th-13th 2009
The Dulwich Centre Institute of
Collective Narrative Practice is pleased to announce this workshop
relating to how narrative ideas can be used to respond to individuals,
groups and/or communities who are experiencing hardship.
The workshop will include:
- Teaching about key principles and concepts in relation to
collective narrative practice
- The introduction of a range of easy-to-engage with methodologies
including: The Team of Life; Collective narrative documents; The
Kite of Life; Songs of sustenance; Enabling contribution through
definitional ceremonies; The Tree of Life: The River of memory,
river of dreams; Collective timelines and others.
- The sharing of stories and songs about hopeful work from Australia,
Palestinian Territories, South Africa, and elsewhere.
- The creation together of a collective document and song during the
workshop, and the holding of a ceremony in relation to these.
- Attention will be paid to the politics of experience and what it
means to bring a feminist and collective perspective to our work as
practitioners.
- Special considerations will be given to ways of responding to
individuals, groups and communities who have experienced significant
trauma.
PRACTICAL:
This workshop is designed to enable participants to go back to their own
contexts and immediately put to work the ideas discussed. There is a
determination that these five days can assist people to return to their
own contexts better prepared to assist those with whom they are working.
WHO IS THIS WORKSHOP DESIGNED FOR?
The workshop will be suitable for those whose work involves responding
to those who are experiencing hardship. It will be particularly relevant
to those working with individuals who would like to find ways to link
people together; those working with groups; those working with
communities; and those wishing to work in collective and community
orientated ways.
ABOUT THE FACILITATORS:
Over the past decade Cheryl
White and David Denborough have been involved in a wide range of
community engagements here in Australia and overseas. They have also
been involved in supporting workers in a variety of contexts and
countries to develop culturally appropriate ways of responding to
children and adults who have experienced significant trauma (see the
recent book Trauma: Narrative responses to traumatic experience). In
many contexts, counselling or therapy is not an appropriate response,
hence the need for more collective and community practices. Recent
teaching assignments have included Kuwait (to Iraqi workers who are
establishing a trauma centre in Basra), Canada, USA, Uganda & Rwanda.
Cheryl White brings to this workshop a long history of engagement with
feminist thought and practice. David Denborough brings a love of both
the written word and song and ways that these can inform our work with
individuals, family groups and communities. Barbara Wingard is a senior
Aboriginal woman and co-author (with Jane Lester) of the influential
book ‘Telling our stories in ways that make us stronger’ (Dulwich Centre
Publications 2001).
COST: AUD$660
To register, please email
dulwich@senet.com.au |
