Winston Churchill Travel Fellowship: US research visit
Alison is off on a research trip to America, thanks to a travel fellowship from the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust! She will be exploring how the arts can help transform the trauma of conflict into something hopeful, forward-looking and strong. There is a long and rich history of returning soldiers and civilians turning to art and literature to try and make sense of the chaos and casualties of war. In America the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and their aftermath have led to a surge in creativity as writers, dancers, theatre makers and musicians – veterans and civilians – seek to communicate and make sense of those conflicts.
This will be a learning experience and a huge opportunity. Alison is delighted to be connecting with these fantastic organisations
https://thetellingproject.org/
and attending this training programme with world trauma expert Bessel van der Kolk
https://www.garrisoninstitute.org/event/trauma-embodiment-synchrony-and-finding-your-voice/
The second part of Alison’s trip will be to Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia later this summer. We want to explore how the arts can connect us to one another, not distance us by visiting creative projects seeking to improve the mental and emotional health of whole communities affected by conflict. Alison is privileged to be attending this ground-breaking conference
http://www.mreza-mira.net/30324-cfp-conference-trauma-memory-and-healing-in-the-balkans-and-beyond/
