The research team want to go beyond asking ‘where should we put defibrillators?’. They want to ask how the space itself invites people to step forward and act in an emergency. However, before they can apply, as a collaboration, to targeted research calls and national funding streams, they intend to cement the basis of this collaboration. They seek to transition the ‘bright ideas’ into answerable research questions, and to plan how the new collaboration can work together practically to explore and deliver these research projects.  (read more)

This methodology adapts photo elicitation techniques successfully employed by anthropologists by using archival photographs and images of historical items relating to healthcare. This was combined with group discussion, employing techniques from focus group interviews and public engagement encounters. This approach builds on work that suggests that public engagement can be employed as a useful research method, particularly suited to capturing people’s experiences. (read more)

Plants are not just objects, they have their own forms of subjectivity and sociality. The recent ‘plant turn’ in the humanities and social sciences has been driven by curiosity about what plants can do, how their powers are harnessed by social actors, and how arts practice might inspire alternative ways to relating to vegetal worlds.  (read more)

Emerging research suggests autism is disproportionately overrepresented in homeless populations (Churchard et al. 2018). Autistic narratives of homelessness (Stone 2019) have highlighted significant barriers to service access and engagement. A key concern relates to the unsuitability of accommodation provision in the homelessness sector, particularly in consideration of the sensory processing and social differences associated with autism. (read more)

Storytelling and practices of orality are fundamental components to Caribbean cultures, both regionally and nationally. Folk characters like Anansi, Compere Lapin, La Diablesse, and the Soucouyant are remembered and retold in the Caribbean and its diasporas through a rich tradition of oral storytelling. Storytelling has not only persisted as a means of connection and entertainment in the Caribbean, but also serves as a ‘methodological [tool] for unsettling colonialities in the twenty-first century’. (read more)

The notion of ‘families of choice’ also conveys a false binary logic that LGBTQ+ adults look to either friends or biological family for support. This project proposes to critically explore the notion of chosen families as a central thread informing our discussions and future proposals. (read more)

Stigma is a major barrier to people being retained in opioid substitution treatment (OST) and recovering from opioid dependency; people who use OST are often stigmatised both for their drug use, as well as the medications they receive (for instance in healthcare settings). People who use crack cocaine and heroin are especially stigmatised and Bristol has a particularly high incidence of people who use both substances concurrently. (read more)

Women who have had female circumcision/female genital mutilation (FC/FGM) often experience life-long consequences in relation to health, wellbeing, and sexual functioning. However, current policy in the UK tends to ignore these needs in favour of policies which seek to protect potential future victims. (read more)

Social media use is now ubiquitous among young people. Learning to navigate social media algorithms is a key skill required to live well in a digitalised 21st century. The ultimate goal of this co-designed intervention would be to empower young people to use social media safely and confidently by minimising exposure to material that may be detrimental to their mental health. (read more)