Salford City College Group is changing the narrative in research collaboration with new Salford institution, The Genre Lab

Salford City College Group and students from their Pendleton Sixth Form College have collaborated with  new interdisciplinary research lab The Genre Lab. to undertake an innovative project trialling a new creative wellbeing intervention called In Your Own WRITE. The programme guides participants in utilising creative writing to achieve wellbeing and self-development. During the project, staff and students participated in collecting data, trialling the programme, and evaluating their experience.

The project has been a huge success, with Dr Caty Flynn, Director of The Genre Lab. commenting “I am extremely impressed by the progressive and utterly determined attitudes and approaches going on at Salford City College Group and in Further Education in general. A group of bright and proactive students, all with lots of existing pressure from their college workload, volunteered their time and efforts to engaging with this project and the experience has been mutually enriching for all involved, myself included”. In terms of the impact of the project, Flynn suggests that “the success of this project reminds us not only that young people should be our focus but also that they are willing and active participants in research, creative and innovative ideas, and new approaches to tackling the issues that they face – they’re the experts. And, with their help, we can respond to pressing issues facing our society currently including, of course, the mental health crisis”.

The project has gathered important student insights about creative wellbeing interventions, evaluating a programme for co-design, and developing a structure and support for future research. “Further Education is such a fruitful arena for research; colleges are like miniature societies with young people and adults, and a variety of different kinds of students and staff from diverse backgrounds, and their duty (or at least their adopted responsibility) of care is complex and multifaceted” says Flynn. 

“Currently, these efforts are strained and limited due to a lack of resources, funding, and the right connections. We are working with the college on a subsidised basis in order to facilitate the connections element. However, we need research funding bodies and the public sector to rethink their allocations and policies if we are to do really meaningful work in this exciting and prime setting for research”.

The students who took part in the project cherished the opportunity to get involved with research and also expressed a real interest in creative options for wellbeing. Their reports evaluating the programme were extremely positive. Most commented on the opportunity for self-expression, creativity, and learning. One participant said,

“I have had an amazing experience that has helped me value my views a lot more. The exercises made me reflect a lot on my personal experiences, both happy and sad. I liked how the exercises were mostly private, it made me really comfortable and allowed me to express opinions that I perhaps wouldn’t have expressed if they were to be said out loud.”

While another reported

“I have felt a deeper understanding of myself. I was excited for each session as it gave me a sense of clarity and calm afterwards which I could take with me throughout my week.”

Amy Vaughan, Deputy Head of Centre at Pendleton Sixth Form College, described the programme as

"an exciting and innovative series of workshops that develop creative writing techniques alongside providing an outlet for discussion around the links between wellbeing and creativity. The programme is engaging, varied and inspiring for young people."

Kimberley Cash, Deputy Group Principal at Salford City College Group, added

"Salford City College Group is proud to partner with The Genre Lab on this innovative project. The project supported student wellbeing and was a huge success. Its pioneering approach provided an outlet for discussion which engaged and inspired our young learners through creative writing."

All of the students expressed interest in taking part in future projects. The project has led also to the formation of a new support community for performing research in Further Education settings, in the Greater Manchester region initially.