Since returning to Ireland in 2014, due to logistical and bureaucratic regulatory challenges, I've been unable to practice my former career as a Speech and Language Therapist here.
In the intervening years,I've been able to maintain my UK registration through pursuing a range of professional activities in cyberspace (pursuing an online MSc, social media editing, online group facilitation for post-stroke survivors with aphasia, participation in expert steering groups on accessibility in app development) - but, well, if the digital world collapsed tomorrow, however, I would have no further access to engaging with my profession at all. It's been a rocky road, and a long journey, and at 45 I feel like I'm at a crossroads.
I've taken this course with a view to upskilling in digital design and development as a potential segueway into providing e-learning for practitioners in health, social care and education.
In September, I moved from a teaching role at Cork Life Centre to a role as an Inclusion Support Assistant in Cork Educate Together Secondary School covering a one year career break, with a view to taking time to reflect on my next career move.
Cork Educate Together Secondary School uses an approach to discipline known as Restorative Practice, which has a heavy emphasis on supporting young people and staff to communicate clearly with one another in conflict, and to express feelings and needs to strengthen and build relationships. I've been undertaking training in the school in this practice since the start of the term, and I wanted the opportunity to capture some of what's stood out to me about it.
For this project, in particular, I wanted to focus less of the ins and outs and technicalities of the approach (e.g. as might be common in an explainer video) or to promote the practice, than to explore and get a sesne of the human angle on what the practice means to those who use it. As such, while this project draws from stylistic features of explainers and promotional videos, the emphasis is on getting an impression of the practice and an opportunity to share stories about what Restorative Practice looks like "in the real world".
It seemed important to have footage of young people in this project, but due to the time constraints, obtaining the relevant permissions would have made this difficult to achieve. The shots of young people included in the b-roll have been edited from a former professional video undertaken in the school on Phenomenon based learning, and edited to give a sense of Restorative Practice as a "journey" that staff and school undertake together towards learning and relationship building.
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