What does ethical participation in creative learning programmes look like? 

Highlights from our October Masterclass with Stella Barnes, Lung Theatre, Blue Cabin and the Care Experienced Movement.

6 November 2024

On Wednesday 2 October 2024, we held a Masterclass hosted by Stella Barnes (Arts Consultant, Researcher, Participatory Artist and Theatre Maker) exploring the ethics of participation.

The online session with cultural sector colleagues gave us a chance to reflect on:

  • What ethical participation means
  • What ethical participation in practice looks like
  • Including people with lived-experience and young people in co-design
  • Holistic pastoral support for all participants including facilitators

We heard from speakers:

  • Artist Nic Golightly who works in collaboration with Blue Cabin, and Jenny Young (Director, Blue Cabin). 
  • Sarah Kadri (Communities & Campaigns Producer) from Lung Theatre

Main discussion points from the event

Our Host, Stella Barnes, shares with us here an overview of the event.

We met to explore what ethical participation in creative learning programmes could or might look like.

Simply put, ethical practice, as I see it, is positive, value-led practice and I would define an ethical value as follows: if the opposite of the value is harmful, then the value is ethical. So, safe rather than unsafe, honest rather than dishonest, just rather than unjust.

We live in a time where social justice, or the absence of it is a profound issue for many young people and especially for young people who have experienced the care system, and the masterclass looked at ethical practice through that particular lens, however most of what we discussed was relevant to a wide range of creative learning contexts.

There are many ways to approach ethical practice and we all interpret ethics in our own unique ways. I believe becoming an ethical practitioner is a journey, rather than a destination; we are all constantly in development.

We were fortunate to have an inspiring group of practitioners with us in the masterclass, who generously shared their perspectives. They opened up new thinking by sharing their journeys, their practice and what they have learnt along the way. 

Nic Golightly discussed her experience working in direct delivery with care experienced children and young people, and what ethical participation looks like in practice for a creative facilitator.

Sarah Kadri shared with us the intensive work Lung Theatre do with the communities they work with to establish ethical relationships on co-production to make hidden voices heard, including in their recent production at Southwark Playhouse: The Children's Inquiry.

The Care Experienced Movement shared their insights into what ethical participation means in terms of creating inclusive spaces for participants and facilitators.

We ended the masterclass with a panel discussion, which particularly focussed on the importance of applying ethics to planning, preparation and reflection.

Top takeaways from the Masterclass

All of our speakers have shared their top take-aways from the event.

Sarah Kadri from Lung Theatre:

  1. Ethics is a dynamic process, tailored to each project and community: adapt ethical approach to the specific needs of each group and context, whilst knowing that you are still responsible to hold it all together.
  2. Time and trust are fundamental to building genuine relationships: invest in long-term engagement to develop deep understanding, this is how you learn.
  3. Balance artistic vision with participant agency and long-term responsibility: honour participants' voices while guiding the artistic process (you are bringing an expertise so own it), and maintain support beyond the project's end.

Blue Cabin and Nic Golightly:

  1. How and where is Blue Cabin holding spaces and conversations where disagreement / different perspectives are celebrated?
  2. The word Love is sometimes something we shy away from, but it is important in working with people. Love, care and attention to detail are integral to building relationships and valuing each other.
  3. Play is essential when holding a safe space for people with whom we are interacting with. It allows us all to show our real selves, have fun with ideas and collaborate with each other. Play, twinned with lightness, kindness and laughter mean we can tackle more difficult subjects with a mindfulness and care for each other. We also always ensure that whatever we make together, there is always a take away - a gift of excellent stationary, a creative pack or a nod to their input.
  4. Transparency and being genuine is key to working with artists, participants and in partnerships. There is a German term 'Haltung' which sums this up perfectly - it means to present your genuine self, a way of being.

The Care Experienced Movement:

  1. CXM advocates for ethical collaboration, promoting self-advocacy and creating supportive environments for Care Experienced individuals. It stresses using correct language, preferring "Care Experienced" over "Care Leaver," and working towards defining this term legally.
  2. The organisation prioritises the inclusion of Care Experienced individuals in decision-making processes and values co-production, where individuals actively collaborate in forming policies, and provides financial compensation for their involvement.
  3. CXM encourages flexible policies, mentorship, counselling, peer support, and trauma-informed approaches. CXM ensures transparency, participant-driven rules, non-hierarchical spaces, and holistic support for Care Experienced individuals. They also offer paid therapy sessions, recognizing the potential for re-traumatisation when working with lived experience.

Further reading and resources

Actions moving forward

  • How about creating an ethical manifesto with young people?

Invite them to choose 5 or 6 values that really matter to them, e.g. choice, fairness, kindness etc. For each value they can write some actions that they expect of themselves, other young people and adults working on the project.

  • If you don’t work directly with young people, you could create an ethical manifesto with your team.
  • How do you hold yourself accountable to the manifesto?

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