Posted on: 11 June 2021
To mark World Wellbeing Week on 21 June, we’re running a jam-packed programme of events for CNWL staff including the launch of our film about staff experiences of working during the pandemic; in collaboration with Wake the Beast (who create contemporary theatrical events and experiences).
We would like to share the film with you and celebrate your contribution to CNWL with a Storytelling Festival week where we can watch the film together, talk about our experiences of the pandemic and learn and grow through telling our stories.
Tell your own story about working during the pandemic – send in your film clip
Wake the Beast have been visiting sites to film staff and those stories make up the main film, but there is still a chance to get involved and share your experience during the week too – more on how to share your film clip too below
We want to hear your stories!
As part of the Storytelling Festival progamme, we want to hear your stories. We invite any member of staff to film yourselves for 30-60 seconds and tell us:
- your role
- your experience during the Covid-19 pandemic
- one thing you will take away from the experience
- OR what helped you support your mental health during this time.
Filming tips
- Find somewhere quiet
- Choose a nice background (so you can be clearly seen)
- Hold the camera in landscape format (so we can add captions
- Make sure the camera is pointing at you
- Press record!
Please send your brief film to: communications.cnwl@nhs.net so we can share them on social media during the week and on our news page.
You can also share them directly too: @CNWLPeople @CNWLNHS #CNWLStaffStories
Programme of Storytelling Festival workshops
Reminder events are for nhs staff only
Reflective Practice – Monday 21 June 10:30am - 11:00am
Reflective practice is so valuable for teams so they can have a safe space to share stories and learn from their experiences. We are working to develop more trained reflective practice facilitators and create more spaces for these important conversations. In this session Anna Maratos, one of the reflective practice project leads, will explain more about the vision and how to get involved. We encourage anyone interested in running reflective practice sessions or just interested in finding out more to join this informative session.
Topic: Reflective Practice
Time: Jun 21, 2021 10:30 AM London
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/95874357585?pwd=SGJVMWE5bVZLdDR5QlB0STF2dmNuQT09
Meeting ID: 958 7435 7585
Passcode: 836364
Make Music Day Workshop with the CNWL choir – Monday 21 June, 7-8pm
Hold Fast, Hold On is a brand new song written for CNWL inspired by our staff stories of the pandemic. Come along to this exciting workshop to hear the song and maybe learn to sing it! Led by song composer Sarah Llewellyn and Choir Music Director Eleanor Rastall, this will be an inspiring and creative session. This is completely open to all – anyone interested in learning the song, joining the choir, musicians interested in recording the song with us in the autumn or just people interested in music and creativity. No prior experience required. You'll be muted from each other for most of the session (but always able to hear and play/sing along with the leaders), so it's a great opportunity to sing and play your heart out with no pressure. Come along and celebrate Make Music Day with us!
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82986999387?pwd=SGVPVVVJQjdoY3duNWt0eDlIblpBQT09
Meeting ID: 829 8699 9387
Passcode: 760773
Managing Anxiety – Tuesday 22 June, 11am-12pm
Hosted by Annabel Butcher. Following a short film on CNWL staff experiences, Dr Simon Michaelson will give a presentation on stress and anxiety with an opportunity for questions and discussion afterwards.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83379591612?pwd=YTJBOEYyYlh2QW9GQWRhbkhjMFJSQT09
Meeting ID: 833 7959 1612
Passcode: xrk73r
Speaking our Stories Film Premiere – Tuesday 22 June, 2:30-3:30pm
Hosted by CNWL Chair Professor Dorothy Griffiths, Chief Operating Officer, Robyn Doran, KCW Arts Psychotherapist Joint Lead (Dramatherapist) Laura Knight, Charlotte Bailey, Director of People and Organisational Development and film maker Adam McGuigan, this is the crowning glory of the programme and the premiere of a film of CNWL staff stories of the pandemic. Featuring drama, dance and new music this is a beautiful film that tells the story of our CNWL experience. This session will include a screening of the short film plus a Q&A with Adam and some of the staff whose stories feature in the film. A not to be missed event!!
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 928 8366 3985
'The Hero/Heroine's Journey : Realising our true potential through a leap into the unknown – Wednesday 23 June, 11:00 – 11:30am
In his book 'hero with a thousand faces' Joseph Campbell mapped out the blueprint of 'the hero's journey' and how in every myth and legend the hero/heroine is plunged into the unknown and has to face his/her fears in order to save the greater good before returning home wiser and stronger.
In this talk NHS mindfulness practitioner Peter Helmer will reflect with the group on how the recent pandemic has plunged so many NHS staff into that unknown; and thereby many into their own epic story and how for some this may have unlocked potential and strengths they had been unaware of before. He will also relate this to the practice of mindfulness and how the internal journey is also where we face our fears in order to include and ultimately transcend them.
A hero or heroine’s journey isn’t about arrival or completion. It's filled with hardships, fears of the unknown, loss, and grief. But it’s also about rising again and again to live, love, and embody our fullest heart, wisdom, and destiny.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/92732032007?pwd=YnhlcFlsbUlwTWdsejJCNXppTStvUT09
Meeting ID: 927 3203 2007
Passcode: 099973
Virtual Reality – How Can it Support Workplace Wellbeing? Wednesday 23 June at 3pm to 3.30pm
The CNWL Digital Innovation team presents an interactive session on using virtual reality to support staff wellbeing. There is mounting preliminary evidence that virtual reality is a promising tool for the promotion of workplace wellbeing. It is an exciting avenue we can explore to address the urgent need for effective, affordable, and accessible staff wellbeing interventions. The team is starting a pilot project to use this technology and is looking for volunteers who will be given a VR headset to use for a few weeks . Come along to this session to find out more.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/97209632492?pwd=eWk0aHdQZFZlQkhUQmVLbDRHakJNdz09
Meeting ID: 972 0963 2492
Passcode: 554952
Agile Working – The Story So Far. Thursday 24 June 3:15 – 3:45pm
The pandemic has caused a great experiment in agile and home working. In this session we will explore how work life has changed and have a dialogue about what the future of work will look like. Ross Graves, Trust Executive Director of Partnerships and Commercial Development will lead the discussion alongside HR Business Partner Nigel Peters.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/95177275099?pwd=L2dma3JKZlRzOEliSVBqTngwUnl5dz09
Meeting ID: 951 7727 5099
Passcode: 082853
Teams: How do we move forward? What do we need from our leaders? What have we learnt?
Friday June 25 Session One at 12:30-1:30pm
This session will be lead by Sue Macmillan from Fields of Learning. It focuses on the film TEAMS by Adam McGuigan from Wake the Beast, which is based on interviews with CNWL staff around team dynamics during the pandemic. It includes the differing experiences of being managed and managing in terms of what went well what didn't and what was the learning.
There will be a facilitated discussion in response to that film which will focus on what is the learning and what actions/ support we want going forward.
Sue will present the feedback from the first and second wave support Fields of Learning gave to teams. As well as briefly looking at theory behind healthy highly functioning teams with some practical tips on how that might look in terms of actions and behaviours. How do we embed the learning from the pandemic to make healthier team dynamics as we move forward?
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/97464450124?pwd=czM0eDhDN201K1hCNnlVa05Vdi9mQT09
Meeting ID: 974 6445 0124
Passcode: 714429
Session Two at 1.45pm to 2.30pm
Topic: How do we move forward? session 2
Time: Jun 25, 2021 01:45 PM London
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/93132803710?pwd=U2N1UnRJaGRmckpXa0VCUEhrbUpJZz09
Meeting ID: 931 3280 3710
Passcode: 226777
Register in advance workshops
These creative workshops require registration in advance so the trainer knows the number of people planning to attend. Please register on Eventbrite and the zoom link will be sent to those who sign up.
Creating a Fictional Story on Tuesday 22 June, 1pm to 2pm
During this week of wellbeing and storytelling, Laura Knight Dramatherapist and KCW Joint Lead Arts Psychotherapist will lead a workshop in creating your own short fictional story using a creative therapeutic technique of the 6 part story making technique.
During this workshop we’ll create a short story from scratch.
It might start with a “Once upon a time…” but who knows what direction your tale takes: Who will be your main character? What will happen? and Will they live happily ever after?
The choice is all in your imagination!
A playful opportunity to connect with others creatively.
Please have a piece of paper and something to draw with, though please be re-assure no artistic expertise is required!
Darning workshop with textile artist Angela Maddock, Wednesday 23 June 1pm to 2pm
Angela Maddock is a thread based artist who works with and through the literal and metaphoric language of textile practice. Join Angela in conversation with Laura Knight, CNWL KCW Joint Lead for Arts Psychotherapies, as they discuss methods of repair and kindness, while Angela shares techniques to extend the life of your favourite clothes. The workshop shares practices of repair to extend the life of the fabric and build value and belonging in old clothes. You will learn how to darn a pair of socks. More information about Angela here : http://www.angela-maddock.com
Please bring:
- a worn pair of socks
- knitting yarn that is similar in thickness to the yarn of the socks (a different colour is fine!)
- a sewing needle with a large eye, big enough for the yarn
- a darning mushroom, if you have one. A potato, stone, apple or orange will do fine.
'The Things We Carry' poetry workshop with Maria Ferguson - Thursday 24 June, 1pm to 2pm
Join poet and theatre-maker Maria for an hour-long creative writing workshop to clear the mind and explore your creative potential. Whether you're a keen writer or an absolute beginner, this workshop will help you to understand and appreciate the physical, metaphorical and emotional things we carry through our lives and how they shape who we are.
More about Maria here https://mariaferg.com
Bereavement Storytelling Workshop (Hayden) 10amto 11.30am on 24 June
Complex Bereavement Storytelling Workshop
Nine Nights - A Workshop Exploring Some Shared Narratives Of Grief"
"Food" can be a common theme in many cultural grieving processes.
Using story, this is an invitation to pause, reflect and share our narratives.
While this will not be a therapy group, it is hoped that the material might encourage you to explore "nourishment" as part of your future journey with Grief, in a manner that's right for you.
Introducing the CaRE Project (Creativity, Resilience and Engagement): on Friday 25 June 1.45pm to 2.30pm
A co-produced approach to support wellbeing, aspiration, growth and connection for teams.
This session will be led by Dominik Havsteen-Franklin, Consultant in Arts Psychotherapies, Jenni de Knoop, Dance Movement Psychotherapist, Natasha Micharina, Psychotherapist and Claire Grant, Trust Head of Arts Psychotherapies. It follows on from the earlier showing of the film TEAMS by Wake the Beast and the discussion about team dynamics during the pandemic.
The CaRE Project was co-produced in response to the impact on teams of the many pressures, challenges and demands caused by Covid-19 and can be used following adverse events. It is informed by a systematic review of the literature on arts-based interventions for professionals in caring roles during and after crises, and shaped by team leaders’ and team members’ input. The project provides co-produced creative team approaches to enable people to share their experience and to build team resources and aspirations. Sessions offer a range of arts-based and experiential narrative exercises, tailored to meet the needs of each team.
This workshop outlines the delivery of the project, highlighting the function that creative approaches can have in helping teams to reconnect and identify the next steps in their journey. Dominik, Claire, Jenni and Natasha will share the learning from the project so far.