Stories in Transition
Stories in Transition
Project lead: Dr Sarah Bulmer
Key Points:
- Pioneering collaborative project with veterans exploring how participation in arts, sports and culture might support them in transitioning to civilian life.
- Creative and participatory methodologies for each organisation were authored and produced by the veterans, including a professionally-edited film.
- There are case studies of three UK organisations involved with the initiative, including Turn to Starboard, Waterloo Uncovered and Veterans in Communities.
- The project was funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, in partnership with Anglia Ruskin University, University of Exeter and Manchester Metropolitan University.
Summary
Turn to Starboard is based in Falmouth, Cornwall, and uses some of Cornwall's greatest assets, the sea and beautiful coastline and its sailing heritage, to take veterans and their families sailing. Through this research we will better understand what impact being at sea, and sailing, has on veterans and what makes one of Cornwall's leading veteran charities so successful.
The Stories in Transition project pioneers creative methods to co-produce research with veterans about the role of arts, sport and culture activities in supporting military-to-civilian transition. This inter-disciplinary project combines creative and collaborative research methodologies with a rigorous case study design to study three veterans’ organisations that use sailing, art, and archaeology in their work. Veterans’ voices are at the heart of the research process, and they will work with researchers to co-produce and co-author their own transition stories, including professionally-edited creative documentary films, about their participation in arts, sport and culture activities.
The research has the potential to transform our understanding of both transition and the unique opportunities of arts, sport and culture activities. In doing so, it will provide the partner organisations, the veteran community, military charity sector, practitioners of arts, sport and culture, and the wider public with new knowledge of what transition ‘is’ and how arts, sport and culture can best be used to support veterans.