Training

Arts and Wellbeing Training with Displace Yourself Theatre

Arts and Wellbeing Training with Displace Yourself Theatre (DYT) is a new training programme for artists and creative practitioners to use their practice to support people’s health and wellbeing.

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About this Training

Arts and Wellbeing Training with Displace Yourself Theatre (DYT) is a new training programme for artists and creative practitioners to use their practice to support people’s health and wellbeing. DYT are committed to encouraging diversity and inclusion, and this programme is for underrepresented artists in Bradford, specifically ethnically diverse artists.

DYT are theatre makers and therapeutic practitioners with over a decade of experience working with and for people that are displaced in the UK and around the world. DYT have a trauma conscious approach that combines theatre, movement, sound and wellbeing to bring communities together and build lasting positive change.

This training programme is for artists of any discipline in Bradford who would like to develop their facilitation skills to support people’s health and wellbeing with a trauma informed approach. Participants will leave feeling confident to facilitate their own unique group sessions.

Whatever your creative practice, this training will give you the skills and confidence to share your artform with others to support their health while not neglecting your own wellbeing. Our intention is to welcome you into a supportive community of artists to develop skills, share resources and provide vital peer to peer support.

We want to address personal, relational, and systemic imbalances operating in mental health and arts and culture sectors through this training programme. This project is funded by Baring Foundation and is specifically for people from ethnically diverse backgrounds*.

* We understand that how we describe ourselves is an integral part of our identity. We recognise and respect that there are different views about language describing people who experience racism. You may identify in one of the following ways or another way that isn’t mentioned here: People who experience racism, Global majority people, African, Caribbean, South, East or South-East Asian diaspora people and people seeking sanctuary in the UK.

Though people from all parts of the population can be affected by mental health problems, the differential impact on the diagnosis and access to treatment for racialised communities is stark.

Training Overview

Through this programme you will receive:

6 half-day facilitator training sessions with leading local artists and wellbeing experts.

3 Give-it-A-Go sessions at Here Together (DYT Creative Sanctuary sessions in Bradford) where you can try out the skills you have learned.

Food! Sharing meals is a massive part of what we do here at DYT, and you’ll be invited to join us for lunch which will be provided for you each day during the training.

The opportunity to join the DYT Team and apply for a 6 month paid placement Co-Facilitator** role working with Here Together (this role will only be available to people who have completed this training).

Access Support. We want to make these sessions as accessible as possible for anyone who would like to apply. Please let us know if you would require support with things like travel or child care, in order to attend.

** What is the Co-Facilitator Role?

DYT facilitate Here Together, Creative Sanctuary Sessions at Kala Sangam. We are excited to be offering a six-month placement to co-facilitate at Here Together. The placement will include:

Co-facilitating Here Together sessions from July to December 2022 (12 in total)

6 monthly mentoring sessions with Displace Yourself’s Co-Director Jen Nevin to imagine, plan and reflect, to support you on your facilitation journey.

Personal Development Budget of £500 to support other training needs, placements or shadowing opportunities

Who is this Training for?

Artists and creative practitioners from any artform or discipline. You do not need to have completed any formal artist training or other artistic roles. If you consider yourself an artist, so do we!

Workshop facilitators who are interested in using their artform to benefit people’s health and wellbeing, or to support post-trauma recovery. This could be your own work or delivering activities for other organisations or groups.

Therapeutic Practitioners who would like to bring more creativity into their offerings.

Artists already working in these areas who would like to widen their skills, know more about different approaches and join a supportive community.

Meet the Team

Liz Mytton is playwright and poet from Bradford. She was a Bristol Old Vic Open Session writer and has worked with the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, the Belgrade Theatre and recently co-created a play with young people for National Theatre Connections. Liz is Lead Facilitator at Women’s Supper Club, a Theatre of the Oppressed project that promotes systems change in Greater Manchester.

Uzma Kazi is a trained Theatre Designer, Youth & Community Worker, and most recently discovered Art Therapy. Uzma has navigated a multi-disciplinary approach in bringing art to people and people to art, but more importantly, creating space with people to discover our own creative languages and to listen to our own voices. Her community work has engaged people across age and backgrounds.

Ella Mesma is an established professional artist with 20 years of experience in dance, yoga, & meditation. Artistic Director of Ella Mesma Company, Maya Gandaia Ltd & co-director of award-winning company Business Yoga. Mesma offers a 9-month coaching programme for creatives (The Goddxx Path) and yearly retreats to Thailand, Portugal and Morocco. She is interested in unlearning to get back to our authentic selves.

Sinead Cambell is a musician (Premaura), Music Instigator (BPH) and Founder of Konscious Konduit- a mindfulness coaching and meditation platform where music and wellbeing go hand in hand. Sinead holds sessions that inform, relax, rebalance and ground you. “I am passionate about creating a community and service that is for all people- from all walks of life. After working with many clients: I have developed tools to empathise authentically with individuals and adapt to their needs.

Jen Nevin is an independent Bradford-based theatre-maker and director specialising in creating intercultural, socially engaged work, regularly collaborating with people in post-trauma recovery. Co-Founder and Co-Artistic Director of Displace Yourself Theatre and an experienced facilitator and movement practitioner who threads theatre-making, somatic movement and yoga into her offerings. Jen embeds a fun, nourishing, trauma-informed process that empowers artists to speak their truth.

Mike Auger is Co-Founder and Co-Artistic Director of Displace Yourself Theatre. Having trained at East 15 Acting School and The Grotowski Institute in Poland, he now works as a choreographer, musician and physical theatre practitioner. Mike has worked with companies such as; Riding Lights, Odd Doll and Uncanny, and he is an associate artist at Mind the Gap in Bradford. He also teaches music and performance skills to learning disabled artists and those who experience psychological and behavioural challenges.

Application Questions

1) Are you 18+ years old?

2) Are you available for all the training dates?

3) What is your name?

4) What is your postcode?

5) What is your mobile number?

6) What is your email address?

7) What are your preferred pronouns?

8)What format would you like to submit your application in? Text, video or audio?

9) How did you find out about this training?

10) What is the main artform you work in?

11) Please tell us a bit about your creative journey and the kind of creative work you do. (no more than 200 words)

12) Tell us what you hope to get out of this training and how you would like to use the skills you gain in your future work.( no more than 200 words)

13) Tell us about something that you do that benefits your health or wellbeing. (no more than 200 words)

14) Do you have any access requirements to enable you to take part? This support could be practical or financial and includes things like support people, different information formats, translation, childcare – whatever you need to enable you to take part equally, alongside everyone else.

15) For monitoring purposes, we need to know a little about your background. Please tell us how you self-identify in as many ways as you feel comfortable with: such as age, gender, race, ethnicity, socio-economic background.

16) Who should we contact in case of an emergency? What is their relationship to you and phone number?

17) Would you like to receive our newsletter?

How to Apply

It’s important to us at Displace Yourself that applying for this opportunity is accessible for anyone who wants to apply. If you would like to discuss anything in this application on the phone, please contact Mike on 07949154514 or email questions to mike@displaceyourselftheatre.co.uk

You are welcome to submit an application in writing, audio or video

Application deadline is: Friday 10 December by 5pm.

Applicants will hear from us by: Friday 17 December.

Arts and Wellbeing Training with Displace Yourself Theatre Training Sessions:

Holding Space and Setting Boundaries

22 January, 10am – 3pm

Join us for a nourishing and uplifting day that will leave you feeling centred and balanced, with Sinead Campbel.

  • Set meaningful intentions for your group sessions.
  • Mindfully respond rather than react in challenging situations.
  • ‘Be with’ people, in acceptance no matter how someone shows up.
  • Begin to notice and eliminate unconscious biases.
  • Rebalance and clear your energy after a challenging day.

Creativity and Using your own Practice

29 January, 10am – 3pm

Techniques to use your own practice to support health and wellbeing, with Liz Mytton.

  • Finding your unique skills and offerings as a facilitator.
  • Building confidence to move from artist to space holder.
  • Learn skills in open and honest communication.
  • Understanding how your artistic practice can benefit people’s health and wellbeing.
  • Keeping up with your own practice while supporting others.

Establishing your Creative Practice

5 February, 10am – 3pm

Building partnerships and working collaboratively with providers and services, with Uzma Kazi.

  • How to offer your artistic practice in the community.
  • How to find spaces to work locally?
  • Approach to finding relevant partners.
  • Funding avenues and routes into working as an artistic facilitator.
  • Importance of signposting and different levels of after-care.

Trauma, Stress and Maintaining Balance

26 February, 10am – 3pm

Understanding trauma, recognising triggers and body-based techniques to maintain wellbeing, with Jen Nevin.

  • Learning how trauma affects our physical body, nervous system and how it can impact our daily lives.
  • Identifying what types of behaviours we can expect to see from participants in post-trauma recovery.
  • Exercises for you to use in your sessions to holistically discharge stress.

Using Creativity to Unlearn our Stories

12 March, 10am – 3pm

How can creativity, structure and unlearning support our wellbeing, with Ella Mesma.

  • Tapping into your creativity when designing your group offerings.
  • Find joy and inspiration in the everyday.
  • Recognising stress and fear and tools to soothe tension.
  • Connecting with your intuition and support healing.
  • Pleasure as an act of self-care.

Coaching and The Art of De-escalation

26 March, 10am – 3pm

Introduction to the Emotional Escalation Model, with Jen Nevin and Mike Auger.

  • Applying the Emotional Escalation Model in your sessions/work.
  • Coaching in De-Escalation techniques.
  • If unable to de-escalate a situation, learning practical ways to keep yourself and others safe.
  • Facilitator responsibilities, ethics and equitable spaces.
  • Identifying next steps and forward planning.

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