Hello, 

welcome to the ninth issue of the Flourishing Spaces Newsletter~ a small offering to pause as we approach the end of this year.

Firstly, we would like to thank you for signing up to receive this gentle thread. We aim to connect a growing community committed to re-humanising medicine and education through creativity, reflection, and care.

This isn’t about adding more noise to your inbox but some encouragement, a signpost to something meaningful, and a glimpse into what’s unfolding in our shared landscape.

All previous newsletters can be read here (scroll to the bottom of the page).

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NEWS FROM THE FIELD

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17th of December: ACE symposium at QMUL

Flourishing spaces was also featured with a talk and a postcard-based exercise at the recent Academy of Clinical Educators (ACE) Symposium @QMUL led by Prof Elspeth Alstead with the support of Rossye Alvarez. The day was enriched by the breadth of voices represented, from students to educators, spanning both primary and secondary care, and grounded in the local context of QMUL medical student clinical placements. Nicole Major, year 3 medical student, delivered a standout presentation, drawing on her anthropology background to explore the human dimension of entering the clinical environment in year 3; her reflections on gaining sign-off as a navigation of interpersonal dynamics were especially moving. We hope this is the start of more human dimension conversations across hierarchies at the frontline.

You can also read insightful articles by medical students, resident doctors, and academics which speak on belonging in nature, the Hong Kong creative curriculum, finding healing from burnout and a new Flourishing Fellowship in London, and much, much more. Explore the full issue here (cover art by Sarah Saunders).

INTRODUCING

FLOURISHING SPACES TEAM

I have been working in the Institute of Health Sciences Education since 2018, starting in a temporary admin role after a couple of years out of work. Prior to that I had been a criminal lawyer for nearly 10 years and I now work in governance in the medical school. In 2023 I was tasked to work with Professor Louise Younie on a staff flourishing strategy and through those conversations I started a monthly knitting group in summer 2023 which continues to this day. 

At that time the medical school was in a state of flux, we were in a temporary office and there were many staff changes at senior level. Colleagues were unsettled and worried at the same time as many of the routines of connecting had been lost - flexible working had been introduced which meant no-one had their own desk and post-covid most staff were working at home half of the time.

The knitting group was and continues to be a very simple way to gather and gently talk and laugh. As well as knitting and crochet we also have colouring books. For me there is something about being physically busy which frees up conversation which can meander nicely in the room. Silences are not so stressful either when there is something else happening. People bring projects, or simply take up the needles and continue someone else’s piece with no particular aim in mind. The colours of the wool and pencils are pleasing and it is lovely to see what others have created. It is striking how knitting in particular leads to memories of home, childhood, mothers, and grandmothers and the stories lead to more stories and a deeper knowledge and sense of connection to my colleagues. 

We have also put on knitting and craft workshops at the Barts and the London Arts exhibition and as part of our Stepping Stones events for new incoming medical students. Teaching (and sometimes failing to teach) knitting and crochet turns out to be a brilliant way to break the ice and have fun together. 

The last year has been difficult for me personally with losing my father, and getting my school avoidant daughter through GCSEs and sometimes the knitting group has felt like a burden, however the flourishing group’s appreciation and validation of it has kept me going, and personally I feel lighter and happier after a session.

~ Vanessa Thompson ( v.thompson@qmul.ac.uk )

UPCOMING EVENTS