Collective Projects – Additional Initiative

We have identified several primary intentions that guided Michael’s vision of the future. Collective Projects is another initiative that has blossomed over the past decade, which we believe is in alignment with Michael’s other intentions for Narrative Practice. Do you have community based/collective project to share?

Our first presentation is by Pierre Blanc-Sahnoun. As a coach and HR consultant, Pierre works with narrative ideas in the profit and non profit organizations around the themes of corporate identities, company communities, and the stories about work in the client’s life in regard with dominant stories about success and performance. He is one of the founders of la Fabrique Narrative (the narrative factory), a narrative center he founded in Bordeaux, France, where he lives. He has written several books and articles (and songs !) about coaching and reauthoring of work.

Our second presentation is by Elizabeth Feld. Elizabeth comes to the narrative community through a path in the ‘helping professions’ that has taken her through ambulance attending, teaching Physical Education and team coaching, to working as a therapist, coach and trainer in a wide variety of settings.

This paper describes an approach to community work informed by narrative ideas that we hope will be of relevance to practitioners in a wide-range of contexts. Over the last year, a number of Aboriginal communities, which are experiencing hard times, have been exchanging stories. These are stories about special skills, special knowledge, about hopes and dreams and the ways that people are holding onto these. They are stories that honour history. This article describes the thinking that has informed this process. It also contains extracts of stories and messages from different communities.

By David Denborough, Carolyn Koolmatrie, Djapirri Mununggirritj, Djuwalpi Marika, Wayne Dhurrkay & Margaret Yunupingu

A number of cross-cultural projects are using collective narrative practices:  variations on The Tree of Life, community actions, sharing survival stories and a range of performative approaches to responding to trauma. The Dulwich Centre is a leader in this initiative. The International Journal of Narrative Therapy and Community Work 2006 No. 2 www.dulwichcentre.com.au

The Tree of Life is a hopeful and inspiring approach to working with children, young people and adults who have experienced hard times. This methodology was co-developed through a partnership between REPSSI (www.repssi.org) and Dulwich Centre Foundation. Ncazelo Ncube (REPSSI) and David Denborough (Dulwich Centre Foundation) initially developed this Tree of Life approach to assist colleagues who work with children affected by HIV/AIDS in southern Africa. This approach has proved so successful and popular that it is now being used with children, young people, and adults in a wide range of countries across Africa, and also in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Russia, Nepal, the USA, and elsewhere.

A number of cross-cultural projects are using collective narrative practices:  variations on The Tree of Life, community actions, sharing survival stories and a range of performative approaches to responding to trauma. The Dulwich Centre is a leader in this initiative.

A number of cross-cultural projects are using collective narrative practices:  variations on The Tree of Life, community actions, sharing survival stories and a range of performative approaches to responding to trauma. The Dulwich Centre is a leader in this initiative.

One of the ways in which the field of narrative practice continues to diversify is through projects developed through collaborations, invitations and challenges. Many of these projects involve ‘cross-cultural inventions’ and partnerships.  Dulwich Centre

Are you engaging in collective projects?  What would you like to add?

Over the past decade, several higher education initiatives have emerged with the intention of preparing the next generation of narrative practitioners. For example, The University of Melbourne in partnership with the Dulwich Centre created The Masters in Narrative Therapy & Community Work.  San Diego State University offers a narratively oriented Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy with a particular focus on developing culturally responsive therapists. Re-authoring Teaching is developing a section of its website devoted to Higher Education with a growing library of teaching resources. Have a look at the Next Generations section of this Michael Legacy Project where we’ve created more space for Higher Education Initiatives . Please help us add to this list!