our story needs
Rooted is a black-led organisation with a mission to reimagine abundant futures for Black people. But in thinking about how we respond to yet another bout of loss faced by Black communities, we couldn’t seem to get past the question:
“Well, how do we grieve for a loss that keeps on happening?”
a new ending.
While the globe is currently experiencing loss in its many forms, COVID-19 has been a harsh reminder that Black communities in the UK are losing more relative to the rest of the population.
If you are Black, hearing this will come as no surprise to you. Losing more is part of the reality we are living with every day. We lose more of our fathers to the criminal justice system. We lose more of our sisters during childbirth. We lose more of our livelihoods at the hands of discriminate bosses. We lose more of our futures from excluding our children from school. We lose more of our lives in the hands of racist police.
loss is not equal.
As part of our The Dark is Bright project, we created Unequal to make space to centre the Black experience in our exploration of loss.
Who is it for?
We are looking for 5-7 individuals who differ in identity, stories and experiences of loss, but are united by their shared experience of what it means to be Black in Britain. We welcome anyone who identifies as Black and are open to exploring their experiences of loss within an intimate group setting.
What exactly is the project?
Unequal is a 10-week programme, starting on 19th January that explores loss through the lens of being Black in Britain. We will connect as a group online for 2-hours per week and, through a series of conversations & creative exercises, make space for our individual & collective experiences of loss.
Why should I get involved?
We believe that while our experiences of loss can feel deeply personal, they are not our burden to carry alone. We hope through this programme, you will find: community: human connections that help you feel seen, heard & held healing: the space & tools to make sense of your loss a creative outlet: processing emotions and channelling hope & imagination
Unequal by
1.What does this journey consist of?
2.Do I need any specific experience to be involved?
3.How do I get involved?
4.What will be expected of me?
5.What will I gain from it?
6.Is there a cost to participate?
7.Who else will be involved?
Over 10-weeks from January to April, we will:
Host a series of online video conversations as a group to share and explore our experiences of loss, guided by the Rooted by Design team.
We will together decide on an individual or collective form of expression to document, express and evolve our experiences of loss.
We will come together to showcase and celebrate our creativity and hope for more abundant futures, sharing it with our communities.
1.What does this journey consist of?
2.Do I need any specific experience to be involved?
3.How do I get involved?
4.What will be expected of me?
5.What will I gain from it?
6.Is there a cost to participate?
7.Who else will be involved?
No, the only thing we ask is that you identify as Black and are open to exploring experiences of loss with our closed group. You do not need to identify as “creative” nor do you need any professional or educational perspective on loss. Your day-to-day life stories are what matter most.
1.What does this journey consist of?
2.Do I need any specific experience to be involved?
3.How do I get involved?
4.What will be expected of me?
5.What will I gain from it?
6.Is there a cost to participate?
7.Who else will be involved?
Please click the "Apply to Join" button at the top, start the application process. Firstly, select that you'd like to participate in the "Unequal by Rooted" experience, then complete the 7 questions which follow. It should take no long than 10 minutes. We’ll be in touch via email or telephone to talk about next steps.
1.What does this journey consist of?
2.Do I need any specific experience to be involved?
3.How do I get involved?
4.What will be expected of me?
5.What will I gain from it?
6.Is there a cost to participate?
7.Who else will be involved?
Loss is a tough topic to open ourselves up to, so we are determined to make it a safe, healing and connecting experience for everyone involved. To help us do this we ask that you:
Where possible be consistent in showing up for yourself and for others in the group
Be respectful & non-judgemental in hearing about the experiences of others
To honour each others privacy and security by not exposing personal details shared outside of the group
To bring courage in allowing your voice to be heard and space to hear the voices of others
1.What does this journey consist of?
2.Do I need any specific experience to be involved?
3.How do I get involved?
4.What will be expected of me?
5.What will I gain from it?
6.Is there a cost to participate?
7.Who else will be involved?
It’s hard to predict and measure the true value of what this collaboration might produce. But here are a few things we believe you will gain:
Community: authentic connection with people outside of your sphere
Healing: the opportunity for your experiences of loss to be seen, heard, held & shared in.
Creative Outlet: experiment with a potentially new way of processing emotions and channelling hope & imagination.
1.What does this journey consist of?
2.Do I need any specific experience to be involved?
3.How do I get involved?
4.What will be expected of me?
5.What will I gain from it?
6.Is there a cost to participate?
7.Who else will be involved?
There is no financial cost to take part. The only cost is your time and energy, both of which we hope will be worthwhile investments.
1.What does this journey consist of?
2.Do I need any specific experience to be involved?
3.How do I get involved?
4.What will be expected of me?
5.What will I gain from it?
6.Is there a cost to participate?
7.Who else will be involved?
We are hoping to involve Black people who represent the beauty of the black experience in its many forms - across age, gender, sexuality, cultural heritage & types of loss experienced. This means you’ll be connecting with people who may have different experiences and perspectives from you.
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A National Lottery Community Fund funded collaboration between Canopy, The Loss Project & Rooted By Design, exploring loss and the emerging future.
