Within the workshop participants become people seeking support , their families , nurses , key workers , policymakers . The group hears from them all and sees the challenges faced by both the person in the centre and the organisations in the sector .
centre of the room . Workshop participants start to write down roles , responsibilities and feelings associated with the individual in the middle , moving them closer or further from the centre , depending on the strength of connection – mother , patient , key worker , dealer , ‘ trust ’, ‘ shame ’, ‘ stigma ’. Soon a map spreads across the room and out into the corridor .
The workshop moves into its next phase and participants are invited to speak from the point of view of any of these connected roles ( see box ). This differs from traditional role play in that respect , as well as people having the chance to move in and out of roles – playing as many as they like , or none at all .
With each new dialogue participants start to identify and investigate the components of the ecosystem . Whether they ’ re stepping into a role or observing , people are seeing the conversations take place from different perspectives . In these exchanges , hearing their own words reflected back , participants gain a deeper understanding of their impact on the person in the centre ’ s life . They begin to see where they may create barriers and begin to offer solutions to the issues that are presented .
Within the workshop participants become people seeking support , their families , nurses , key workers , policymakers . The group hears from them all and sees the challenges faced by both the person in the centre and the organisations in the sector .
The responses to the polarisation and competition in drug and alcohol support will shape the future of our sector . The evolving political , economic , and social landscape will create additional complexities , but this sociodrama workshop showed how experiential learning can help steer us through these difficult conversations .
In her closing remarks , Project 6 ’ s chief executive , Vicki Beere , summarised some of the key themes of the conference as the need to keep fighting to put people at the centre of everything we do , and to value the power and potential of human connection . Audio and video excerpts from the conference , including the sociodrama workshop can be found at project6 . org . uk / conference . Project 6 are busy curating the programme for the ideas conference 2024 so watch out for a ‘ save the date ’ announcement in January .
Jon Gooch is head of digital and communications at Project 6 , a charity working with adults and families in South and West Yorkshire
THE WORKSHOP
Someone steps into the role of nurse .
– I ’ m glad you ’ ve turned up for your appointment , but you ’ ve not been coming for the last four , can you tell me about that , why haven ’ t you been ?
– You treat me badly when I come here . The receptionist looks at me like I don ’ t matter , other people stare at me and I don ’ t want to feel like that . I totally get why you want me to come though .
They reverse roles and each tells the other what they heard them say . – I would have come but I don ’ t like coming because every time I come no one listens to me and I feel really ashamed of who I am , and I find it really difficult to get the support I ’ m asking for . – Would it make it easier if you saw me each time ? – Yeah it would .
– We can make that happen , we can arrange that .
Another person shares an example of someone they ’ re very concerned about . – Oh thank goodness you ’ ve opened your door at last , it ’ s fantastic to see you .
Someone else takes on the role of the person in the centre .
– I can feel that you care because you obviously want to speak to me , you understand probably why I didn ’ t answer the door . – Yeah , and I know what it ’ s taken for you to answer . – Because I ’ ve been hiding behind it for two hours , not wanting to answer it . If that ’ s all I achieve today , opening the door …
– We can go places from there .
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