Earlier this week, I was blessed to attend the South Coast Doctoral Training Partnership residential in Cumberland Lodge, an educational charity and social enterprise that exists to empower young people to lead the conversation around social division. This blog shares images from the residential, along with my thoughts, feelings, and silly scribbles.
We started the residential off with a ‘getting to know you’ activity (not as bad as it sounds!), where our tables were mixed up, and one person started with a ball of wool. The person spoke until someone else heard something in common, and then they were handed the ball. After ten minutes of talking, we had created intricate webs of connections.
The afternoon session was run by the first-year students; the session I chose was entitled “Resilience through connecting with nature”. Unfortunately, it had started raining, so we started the session inside before taking our coats and brollies out for a spin. Orla Bredin led us through a guided meditation we all naturally stood in a circle together, which was nice. I could hear the dripping from the tree above on my big umbrella, and it reminded me of scout camps. The session was just what I needed to revitalise me after a ginormous lunch.
One of my favourite parts of the residential was with Dr Ben Walter’s Badge Cafe (if you’ve been here a while, you’ll know we had Ben at our Intersections of Sociology with Crip Theory, Critical Disability Studies and Mad Studies Symposium). I spent an hour looking through books with other students and lecturers before making a pro-sex work, anti-capitalist badge with a beautiful flower background.
After dinner, a few of us went downstairs (to the ‘dungeon’ as one lecturer kept calling it – oh er!) to do karaoke. We definitely destroyed some Chapelle Roan, Eminem, ABBA, and Elvis Presley. A relatively eclectic, and sometimes very physical, night of music.
The next day was facilitated by Dr Katy R Mahoney and started with a session on busting imposter syndrome. I am not one to experience imposter syndrome; however, it was a great opportunity to get to know some of the new cohort and hear their experiences. This session was full of activities that allowed for lots of conversation at our table, and Katy also didn’t mind being interrupted by me and others who don’t necessarily put their hands up before speaking (whoops!). This session also affirmed many of the changes I have made to the way I work.
We were given the choice of Little Miss and Mr Men cards to use for our imposter syndrome buster tool kit.
This gorgeous little fella is going on my office wall with the rest of my pretty, colourful and queer stuff.
(I remember this book from my childhood so well – Mr Small falling into a jar of colourful jelly beans. We’ll ignore that this book came out in 1985…)
After lunch, I was looked after by the students and staff whilst taking part in an outdoor activity that involved a lot of walking and standing, as I had forgotten my walking stick (twat). I had some time to myself before attending the second half of the resilience session (there is only so much reflection a man can do in one day!). I went for a meander with three others before dinner, and it was just what I needed to unravel my thread-filled brain.
Another night of delicious dinner and karaoke. Four of us took to the karaoke machine to remember a student, friend and all-around legend who died last year: Toby Meredith. Toby sang I Would Walk 500 Miles by The Proclaimers last year, so we did too; everyone was able to sing along and think about Toby. Honestly, I think he would have loved it. Another thing he would have loved is me singing Chop Suey by System of a Down with Professor Lisa Sugiura (a self-confessed Swifty).
On the last morning, we went to the Savill Gardens. It was a perfect end to a pretty perfect trip. I have come back with renewed energy (both physical and emotional) to get back to it with PhD, work and all the other business of living. Thank you to the SCDTP staff for organising and looking after us all. As ever, my favourite part is free time with you all, but then social research would be pretty bland without being social.