Creating Responses to Self-Harm
Please note: These sessions are for people with experience of self-harm only - whether historical or ongoing. You get to decide whether or not you feel you have experience of self-harm; it is not our place to decide.
About the session
What might be possible if we were able to think creatively about responses to self-harm? What does it mean to build solidarity and care among those of us with lived experience?
Led by the Make Space team, we’ll blend reflections and creative prompts to think about what it means to show up for each other and our own experiences, in the face of systems of “care” that often cause more harm than good. We’ll be drawing on the themes of the programme as a whole, celebrating Mad Art, Mad Togetherness, and Mad Imagination.
As always, there is no pressure to talk about your own experiences. You are welcome to join anonymously and to make decisions about how you do and do not want to participate in the space.
For this workshop, you will need:
- Whichever materials excite you/you have to hand! Pens, pencils, laptops, collaging kits, paints etc.
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Arts and Ourselves: Creative responses to self-harm
Arts and Ourselves is a series of creative sessions led by and for people with experience of self-harm. It is run by Make Space in collaboration with excellent creatives and facilitators. The programme offers room for our experiences in their multiple forms; a space for us to be together and to make some things.
At no point will you be asked or encouraged to discuss or creatively represent your experience of self-harm, however you will be welcome to.
Our aim is to give room for self-harm all of its different meanings; you might want to explore shame, feel into joy, forget about self-harm entirely, or hear from others. Whatever you need, we hope you feel welcome. Each session will focus on a particular creative medium - the extent to which you make this about your experiences of self-harm is up to you.
Logistics and access
Each session is free to attend and will be held online on Zoom. Our programme is supported by a therapist who will be available to anyone who needs space to debrief after the sessions.
We also have a small budget to send you appropriate materials for each session; this will depend on sign ups and the content of each session.
Each session will be automatically captioned as default. There is space on the sign up form to let us know about any other access needs you have such as live closed captioning, BSL, or an intro to the team before the session. We will do our best to meet these needs.
Expectations
Make Space rejects cessation based responses to self-harm. We will never ask or suggest that you stop self-harming. We recognise that self-harm can take many forms and play many different roles in people's lives. We do not require you to disclose anything about your self-harm.
We are an organisation led by people with experience of self-harm. We are not trained medical professionals and cannot offer medical advice or assistance.
Outcomes
At the end of the programme we’d like to make a Zine (similar to one we made before; A Space for Self-Harm). The zine will work as an exhibition of the work we made together. Details of how to submit your makings will be sent after each workshop.
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Get in touch
If you have any questions about the programme or would like to speak to the team before attending, please feel free to get in touch at info@makespaceco.org
Funding
This project is funded by The National Lottery Community Fund.