How we work
We work side by side with people with protected characteristics, mental health issues and lived experience of trauma, discrimination and adverse life circumstances. The process is a mutual exchange of skills and ideas.
At the heart of our approach is providing opportunities for people to build skills, explore their identity and express themselves creatively, alongside finding audiences and making a difference with the films and podcasts they make.
We offer dynamic accredited learning where people can document the impact of their journey and develop hands-on experience in community leadership.
People are referred to us through partners in community justice, health and social care and recovery partners across Scotland. This gives us powerful cross-sectoral learning on the transformative applications of our work.
Journey with us
We incorporate the following outcomes into our practice to support the personal development of the people we work with.
OUTCOME ONE
Increased technical and practical skills, and confidence in filmmaking and media.
OUTCOME FOUR
Improved skills for work and further learning.
OUTCOME TWO
Increased ability to build connections and find a sense of belonging.
OUTCOME FIVE
Improved mental health, wellbeing and sense of self.
OUTCOME THREE
Increased ability to discover and express their creativity.
OUTCOME SIX
Greater personal power and belief that they can make a difference.
Our values
We are aware of the risks involved in creative processes, particularly for people who have experienced trauma. Our ethical storyforming process is a mutual exchange of skills and creative ideas. We build trust and consent with people to protect them from feeling retraumatised and exploited by a ‘re-telling’ of their story as they make autobiographical creative work and help them to apply their lived experience on their own terms.
We support people to decide what they want to share so that they can manage the boundaries and complexities within their own stories before diving into media-making.
As part of our co-production and trauma informed process:
We make shared decisions and value everyone’s skills and experiences
We work collaboratively in a flattened hierarchy
We build trust and foster empathetic and honest relationships
We are person centred
Our policies
In a self-management culture, we recognise the crucial role that clear procedures, alongside our other operating policies, have in helping to establish a fair, transparent, and healthy workplace where everyone understands their rights and feels supported. We resist hierarchy but prioritise a structure of policies and practices which are detailed in a comprehensive internal handbook with a fair and supportive approach to every member of the team and our collaborators.
The sections below provide abridged versions of our key policies, more detailed strategic plans are available on request.