Project
Navigating Vulnerability
A rich set of workplace interviews and an impactful series of illustrations about how we handle emotional load in our professional roles.
Project Purpose
We’ve always been conscious that working with challenging themes such as domestic abuse & sexual consent involves carrying a heavy emotional load for practitioners, particularly where this results in disclosures & where practitioners are also navigating the weight of their own difficult lived experience, which is why our Artistic Director Kate Gorman is so passionate about bringing a care-based practice to our project management at Changing Relations.
But over time, we have observed that – across the various sectors we engage in (Domestic Abuse, VCSE, Culture, Education, HE) – the practice ofrecognising & consciously working to support
those whose roles involve carrying an emotional load, is patchy.
We’ve seen some amazing practice. We’re also conscious of many gaps, of an inconsistency in funders recognising this aspect of the work they are supporting, of culture sector freelancers falling through the cracks & left to manage the load of others once a project has ended, of those at the top of organisations carrying a huge weight of the vulnerability passed up the tree from participant to practitioner to manager & not necessarily having clear pathways to ensure they too are fine. So we decided to tackle it head on.
Project Outcomes
Our Navigating Vulnerability project concept won the support of Durham University, via their EDI Fund.
Our interviews produced some invaluable insights into the kinds of work that involves holding an emotional load, the personal and professional impact of this, and the perception that much of this kind of activity is invisible.
Our pilot training participants found the interview and illustration content useful and appreciated the opportunity to acknowledge the weight of this kind of work and the space to reflect on boundary-setting and support frameworks.
Bringing the project to life
Conducting wide-ranging interviews
We conducted a fascinating set of interviews with professionals from across the HE, arts and culture, education, domestic abuse support and wider voluntary sectors, speaking to individuals at a range of levels within organisations including leadership, as well as those working in a freelance capacity.
Commissioning an artist
We conducted an analysis of the key points and themes emerging within the interview transcripts, which our commissioned artist, Lou Brown, used as the inspiration for a series of illustrations on the theme of navigating vulnerability in our professional roles.
Planning & piloting CPD
We drew on both the interview content and illustrations to create pilot training sessions aimed at frontline practitioners and managers, giving professionals from a range of sectors the opportunity to interrogate the aspect of their work that carries an emotional load and extend their practices and frameworks for supporting their wellbeing.
Further developments
We are now engaged in conversations with a range of possible partner organisations about the potential for further development from this initial starting point. We feel there is a significant need for this work, with many in the “caring” professionals on the edge of burnout.
