YSJ Prison Partnership Project & Changing Lives

For my Independent Practice and Research module (IPaR), I decided to take part in the YSJ Prison Partnership Project and their 'On the Out' project.

Throughout the project, it was essential to plan each session thoroughly and in a trauma informed way. This meant selecting material very carefully to avoid topics that could be triggering for the women, and also plan activities they will be interested in and keep them engaged. Although planning was a vital part of the process, it was equally, if not more important to sometimes read the room and abandon the plan to fit the needs of participants in the space - having strong attunement.

• "having good attunement means a facilitator can listen well, accommodate moods and the group atmosphere, and respond to individuals and the energies of the workshop" (Hepplewhite in Preston, 2016: 177).

The need for changing the plan or changing the style of delivery could be simply due to how the women are feeling that day, or low attendance numbers, but could also be because of levels of intoxicity and substance abuse, mental or physical health issues, hard relationships, and family disruptions. Due to the unfortunately chaotic lives of the women at Changing Lives, this happened multiple times throughout the process. For example, there were occasions where participants were heavily intoxicated due to alcohol dependency, therefore I had to change the plan to suit their needs, and also the needs of the non-intoxicated participants in that moment. Similarly, there were times when some participants were feeling very anxious, so the plan was changed to be delivered gently and activities made to be less intimidating.

This project was a great success for both me as a facilitator and for the women involved. This comes down to the amazing work of Jessica Robson and her guidance to me, as well as the fantastic input from participants throughout the entire process. I am extremely thankful to both Jess and the women, and hope to work with them again in the future.

As a practitioner, I have gained an abundance of skills and techniques from these projects and have gained a deep knowledge of working in the realms of vulnerability, the criminal justice system, domestic violence, familial and relationship breakdowns, homelessness and alcohol and drug misuse. Although it has at times been challenging, this has been the most rewarding project I have taken part in over my time at York St John University and has really solidified what direction I want my career to go in. I want to work with vulnerable women to allow them to explore creative arts as "art has the power to transform lives" (Dick, 2011: 5) and I want to empower the women to believe in themselves, reimagine their identities, and boost their recovery process.

Please see below my IPaR Catalogue Document that shows my entire process and thinking.