KIN invite you to participate in an innovative, forward-thinking Creative Symposium over 2 days on 26th and 27th April 2018. Together we will explore the role of professionals working with (and for) young people who are affected by the imprisonment of a family member.
Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE). ACE’s are now widely accepted to contribute to poor outcomes for children and young people if they’re not identified and countered. No one childhood is the same; children who have a parent in prison can experience a range of emotions associated with bereavement (loss, shock, anger, fear) in addition to feelings of shame and isolation. Many have experience of trauma, making it hard for them to learn, and stigma, which can lead to bullying and behavioural issues. Often described as ‘the hidden victims of crime’, they are more likely to come from families with complex needs and are less likely to meet child wellbeing indicators.
KIN is an arts collective of 14-25 years olds, from across Scotland. Each one of them has experienced the imprisonment of a sibling or parent. Over the past two years they have joined with others to learn from their experiences, make sense of them and create art that speaks to our wider societal responsibilities to those affected by familial imprisonment.
The Symposium Programme
In this Creative Symposium you’ll work with KIN collective members, acclaimed visual artist Alice Dansey-Wright and Vox Liminis staff to share your expertise, experience, insights and hopes for the future. This creative process has been designed with the young people of KIN. It will combine discussion, creative responses and action planning. Over the two days, we will delve into four areas the young people have highlighted:
- Disrupting Assumptions (of stigma, shame and identity)
- Holding Knowledge (what do we do with what we know?)
- Inspiring Support (a pro-active, positive approach)
- Moving Forward (where do we see change potential?)
Our hope is that out of this process we will collectively identify areas of our own practice that we can improve, both within and beyond our roles and organizations. Join us in creating a foundation for further creative conversations around this important issue.
Event Details
The symposium will take place on Thursday 26th and Friday 27th Apil 2018, at Vox Liminis offices, 217 Gallowgate, G1 5DX. Each day will begin at 9.30am, and finish at 4.30pm, with lunch provided.
This Creative Symposium is for anyone who works with children and young people, particularly those affected by family imprisonment. It is for anyone who thinks they can play a role in making positive change with and for young people affected by family imprisonment. If you think it might be for you but are unsure, please get in touch. It is our preference that participants attend for both days, however, please get in touch if you would be interested in only attending one day and we will advise on space availability.
This project is part of Year of Young People 2018, and work created will go on to be part of the Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival in May of this year.