We are at a friendly but sweltering Connected Communities Conference (CCFest 2015) to learn from others and present our work on the Imagine project. Our work is about using resilience approaches to imagine better futures and make them happen. And we’re doing this in loads of different countries and loads of different settings.
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After Ann Masten’s lecture we are more than ever convinced of the importance of campaigning for the next step in resilience research and practice, which explicitly addresses the political nature of poverty and discrimination and tries to tackle inequalities, that which is consistent with the Boingboing resilience approach.
Angie here again. Sunny morning in Halifax, Nova Scotia. You ever heard of Ann Masten? She’s mega famous in my world. I’m listening to her speak right now. She’s a US psychologist, working mostly on human development, and has just written a new book called Ordinary Magic. Ann’s been working on resilience for so long that she’s now won a lifetime award for it. Congratulations Ann.
Cindy Blackstock has just taken the Canadian government to court for injustices to aboriginal children. Cindy looks at the audience and tells us that her mentor gave her some advice which I just love – ‘don’t fall too much in love with your own organisation. And don’t fall in love with your own business card, as you might have to give them both up in the end to fight for your children.’
Democratising distress is about not packaging mental distress as something that can only be fixed by ‘experts with a privileged hotline to the truth’. Carl spoke about how informal community spaces frequently foster mental wellbeing through normal, everyday human practices. Being a good neighbour, treating people with compassion, making human connections, providing a space to just ‘be’ without labels and judgement were all part of the picture.
It is clear that a considerable amount of mental distress work is undertaken in organizations and services in our communities that are not rationalised as mental health interventions. However there have been few sustained attempts to centre these kinds of agencies and organizations.
We look from a holistic perspective at the principles and attitudes that actually build resilience in at risk young people. It will also look at the importance of them interfacing in a positive way with their communities and their place in the larger whole.
The building blocks of self-empathy can be created within a few hours. Sustainability and resilience grow as it is applied regularly at home or work. Yehuda gives examples for each stage of empathy and how they can be used to change emotional and physical issues with individuals, groups in clinical, educational, business and creative settings.
Dr Hoult uses science fiction films and books to imaginatively explore alternative futures with the participants, as well as the links between plural reading practices and resilience. She considers the role that hope plays in the formation of resilience and illustrates how imagining utopias can lead to the articulation of personal hopes for the future.
Resilience to re-offending highlights local research carried out in Hastings with 8 young men who had previous involvement in the criminal justice system from various local organisations, aimed at understanding the processes and mechanisms that support young men to turn their lives around after engaging in criminal behaviour.
