Jenna Marrion, freelance Project Manager, on the development of Safe Access.
Last year we were thrilled to hear our grant application to the National Lottery Heritage Fund’s Heritage Innovation Fund was successful, enabling us to further develop the Safe Access Project. The third, ‘Grow,’ phase is a two-year £250,000 programme that will focus on embedding wellbeing and a Trauma Informed Approach within heritage settings, so that people from marginalised backgrounds can engage safely with sensitive collections and stories.
A fundamental element of this phase is a Peer Cohort Learning and Support Programme bringing 14 diverse heritage organisations together for a series of needs-led developmental activities designed to foster collaborative culture change. After many months in the making, we are delighted to introduce our Safe Access Peer Cohort:
- Boston Manor House
- Coffin Works (Birmingham Conservation Trust)
- Hampshire Cultural Trust
- Lakeland Arts
- Peterborough Sculpture Collection/Nene Park Trust
- Queer Britain Museum
- Shakespeare Birthplace Trust
- Stockroom
- The Green Howards Museum
- The Mosaic Rooms
- Pankhurst Centre
- Warrington Museum & Art Gallery
- Yorkshire Sculpture Park
We are also excited to share that the Safe Access Peer Cohort Learning and Support Programme will be co-facilitated by Antonia Canal and Hamza Rana. Their combined passion and experience as anti-racist heritage consultants, community facilitators, and cultural project leaders provide the ideal skillset, understanding and vision to design and deliver this transformative, relational, and action-driven programme.
Refinement of the wellbeing framework
During the ‘Test,’ phase of Safe Access, AIM’s project partners at Queer Kernow produced a draft Wellbeing Framework. The Cohort will be trialling the recommendations provided in that draft Framework throughout the lifecycle of the ‘Grow’ Phase so that we can refine and develop it with robust testing at its core. By the end of the project we will have a sector ready toolkit to support and enable heritage organisations in centring wellbeing, understanding, and compassion for lived experiences in their everyday working practices; with the main aim of improving how freelancers, staff, visitors and volunteers from marginalised communities experience museums and heritage, particularly sensitive collections and histories.
The structure of the peer cohort learning and support programme
With the aim of addressing the unique challenges faced by museums and heritage sites in creating safe, inclusive, and accessible environments for all, Antonia and Hamza will be bringing the Cohort together for monthly online sessions, providing a comprehensive learning experience through a variety of formats:
- Workshops – action-focused workshops covering a range of topics relevant to creating safe and inclusive heritage spaces. By taking an iterative approach to the programme, the needs and understanding of the Cohort will inform the workshops content.
- Action Learning Sets (ALS) – offering a collaborative space for Project Leads to explore and tackle challenges collectively. The ALS methodology encourages group problem-solving and reflective practice, fostering a supportive learning environment.
- Sharing sessions – providing a platform for Project Leads to share their experiences, insights, and key learnings from their activities and developments. This peer-to-peer sharing is crucial for building a community of practice and disseminating best practices across the Cohort.
- Specialist talks and best practice sharing – ad hoc specialist talks and best practice sharing opportunities will be scheduled to provide additional learning opportunities and will be tailored to the specific needs and challenges of the Cohort.
Stay in touch!
Additional ways to engage with the programme as we progress over the next year will include a resource bank and open events.
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