The StoryLab Research Institute of Anglia Ruskin University is inviting key workers to send them vlogs, letters, podcasts, drawings or photographs to share their living history during this time, for a new arts project called The Frontline.
In particular, they would like to include stories by reservists and veterans who are helping on the ‘front line’ of the Covid-19 crisis. The stories will be featured on the Storylab website dedicated to capturing a truer record of the experiences of key workers than that depicted by the mass media.
The Frontline project is partly seed funded by prize money from the AHRC Research in Film Awards won by Prof. Topun Austin (Rosie, Cambridge University Hospitals Trust) , Sophie Jackson (Cambridge School of Creative Industries) & Dr Shreepali Patel (StoryLab) for The Golden Window, RIFA 2019 Best Research Film, Health and Wellbeing.
The Frontline is implemented in collaboration with the Veterans & Families Institute for Military Social Research, which carries out research, policy development and consultation on the impact of military service on veterans and their families. The Institute is part of Anglia Ruskin University, which signed the Armed Forces Covenant in 2016 to publicly declare how members of the armed forces, their families, veterans and reservists are treated fairly in their organisation.
Professor Mike Almond is the Forces in Mind Trust Professor of Veterans and Families Studies at the Institute. Mike is also Chair of the Essex forum of East Anglia Reserve Forces and Cadets Association and he is keen to see the participation and personal experiences of reservists and veterans included in the Frontline project outcomes.
Wing Commander Almond QVRM AE MRAeS DM FRCP VR, about whom we wrote a feature in 2018, was invited to apply for the post based on his clinical research background, his experience as a reservist and his involvement with the Veterans Advisory Pensions Committee.
To be part of the Frontline project, simply use the hashtag #frontlinestories or mention @Storylab on social media, or complete the submission box on the ARU Storylab Frontline project website.