National Creative Recovery ForumDay 2

Moving Forward

Mentors and Business Coaches International

What are YOUR expectations of our

time together?

The journey…..

•NOW

•WHERE

•HOW

Visionary

Driver Nurturer

Checker

Which window do you see out of?

Why the arts is a critical part of community

recovery……….

• The arts assists communities and individuals to heal, to tell their stories, to build identity, strength and confidence. All important to resilient individuals and communities following disasters.

We know the arts assist in…

• healing, building strength and resilience, re-establishing identity

• empowering the powerless• dealing with Post traumatic stress• building community capacity and skills

development• uniting community to connect, reflect,

reinvigorate & envision a new future• supporting adults to support children• allowing people to “move forward” at

their own pace• breaking down the sense of isolation • leaving ongoing symbols of recovery • coming to terms with the new “normal”

• recovery is more than infrastructure!• provides a way that community

members skills can be recognized• allows communities to express the

impact of disaster in culturally appropriate ways

• re-developing art and cultural practices essential to community existence

What we said we learnt..

• communities know what they want • they get frustrated when told what they need by

outsiders !• empower communities in the decision making

process• there is a need to manage expectations• don’t push too hard when communities are in shock• be patient –do not hurry, do not rest (Goethe)• creative activities provide a space for recovery &

relationship building• celebration, ceremony, fun & acknowledgement of

pain & grief is an important part of community• creative recovery not just rolled out just when a

disaster occurs• the process of waiting for insurance companies was

forgotten about while making art and just being • communities are disempowered by differing

organisational agendas and politics during disaster response

What we said we’ve learnt cont.

• project ideas come out of deep trusted relationships• when communities engage in meaningful fun &

creative projects they learn new skills and build their capacity

• the importance of the community owning and being part of the process.

• the need to capture information to ensure that next time something happens we don’t have to start all over again.

• Co-ordination and collaboration important processes• Communication needs supporting• Communities, when resourced, can establish own

initiatives to support mentally healthy communities• For some people the best way of coping is to bury the

past and not mention it again. For others the opposite is necessary

• easy to use collection salvage instructions out to all sectors of the community

The opportunities we see for the future….

• storytelling through theatre, music, visual arts• community building/rebuilding, identity building• communities empowered to use arts as they deem

fit• sessions on ways to reflect on disaster - learn from

what has occurred and prepare for future possibilities

• disaster can be a catalyst for change & brings people together for long term creative good

• preparedness is the key and local skills development

• on the ground grass roots action and response, unhampered by government processes

• need for long-term sustained programs that need external resources

• being an integral part of the disaster recovery process through long term community engagement and education.

• arts incorporated as part of the usual process of disaster recovery

• establish an advocate body for the continued inclusion of the arts into disaster recovery

• arts playing a role in the many stages of the disaster recovery cycle

• a selection of artworks produced during creative recovery projects exhibited and toured nationwide

• The gathering of oral storytelling material, the shaping of this material through a creative lens, the exchange of compassion, understanding and long term support.

• I believe that arts professionals should be aware of ‘do’s’ and ‘don'ts’ in relation to transmitted trauma management, not causing further harm through their investigations and artworks, and should be conscious of creating community led networks for the support of interviewees.

The arts plays an integral role in the process of recovery in providing opportunities to express and be human in radical situations.

It is the humanizing of disastrous circumstances that enables people to find resilience and integrate their experiences into their own humanity.

A community with lots of physical buildings and roads but no spirit within the people is not a community – it is a ghost town. Or worse it implodes.

In 12 months we want…

• good practice sharing • more awareness by communities of their

right to engage creatively in any situation

• funding to support training and planning for future disasters

• arts development policy written into local govt cultural plans

• more regional arts workers employed by local govt or arts industry support providers

• more consultation and ground level involvement with local arts groups

• longer term funding to support community recovery

In 12 months??

• a network formed that creates a how-to type manual/process of steps demonstrating how the arts can be involved, who can support that process (ie the network connections) and that package be supplied to local councils or emergency services

• a recognition in the public arena of the importance of the arts in all facets of community

• try and hold the learning and effectively communicate the impact of this work

• a national network of artists and creative CCD workers and supporters formed to create a document that synthesizes our experiences and knowledge, as evidence of the role the arts plays in emergency response and recovery.

And…

Significant players lobby and advocate for the development of a national strategy for arts and cultural workers to be included in response strategies beyond simplistic or superficial involvement;

The development of appropriate professional development opportunities and training for artists and creatives and CCD practitioners to work in trauma and emergency response situations;

For strategic supporters to lobby and advocate for a fund to be established specifically to enable artists, creatives and CCD workers to undertake their work including practical on the ground logistics.

Group Work – our understanding of the

process• What have you discovered

works in communities recovering from disaster?

Feel free to use question sheet provided

Blue sky dreaming…

If there were no barriers what would you envision for the future of creative

recovery?

Our shared vision

• What would a creative recovery framework for the future look like?

National Creative Recovery ForumDay 3

Moving Forward

Mentors and Business Coaches International

Review of our work so far….

• What has impacted you the most?

Group Action Planning

• What do you believe are our TOP PRIORITIES?

Rating the Top Priorities

Rate against;• The greatest chance of

success• The ability to achieve our

vision

Summary

• What are our key actions?

Project Teams

• What do we do now?• What excites you?• What are you prepared to

commit to?

“Moving Forward”

• What are WE committed to that will maintain the momentum?

Thank you

• Without you and your passion there would be no

creative recovery!!