The Talking Circle: Identity, Belonging, Citizenship & Mental Health
Join us this November as the Talking Circle takes up residency at NTU. A space for conversations – about everything from Islamophobia Awareness Month to men’s mental health, and reimagining masculinity – students and staff are invited to drop in to listen.
By Helen Garrigan | Published on 25 October 2024
Categories: Current students; NTU Arts; School of Social Sciences;
Programmed in collaboration by the School of Social Sciences’ Dr Paul Hamilton and NTU Arts, the Talking Circle is designed to challenge the status quo and recognise the value of healthy dialogue – and the importance of disagreeing agreeably – in addressing some of the most pressing social issues of our time.
You'll find the Talking Circle on Level 1 of the Newton Building, City Campus, next to Café Newton. No need to book, just drop in, pull up a chair, and listen in.
Programme of conversations
| Date | Time | Conversation |
|---|---|---|
| Tuesday 19 November | 1 - 2 pm | Faith Ambassadors: Islamophobia Awareness Month |
| Wednesday 20 November | 10 - 11 am | School-to-Prison Pipeline: Strategies for ‘Breaking the Cycle’ |
| Thursday 21 November | 10 - 11 am | Alternative visions for sentencing, punishment & incarceration: a conversation |
| Friday 22 November | 12.30 - 1.30 pm | Movember – a collaborative conversation with NTSU Men’s Mental Health Champions |
| Monday 25 November | 2 - 3 pm | Exploring the trust deficit in public life & public institutions: police & politics |
| Tuesday 26 November | 10 - 11 am | Building Safer Communities: how do we tackle youth violence together? |
| Wednesday 27 November | 2 - 3 pm | Reimagining masculinity: how might we break out of the ‘man box’? |
Whilst these Talking Circles are all designed to be stand-alone sessions, they inevitably talk to one another. For example, it is impossible to talk about the school-to-prison pipeline without considering the role of masculinity in this process, and what this means for youth violence and subsequent sentencing. As such, there are overlapping themes relating to mental health, inclusion/exclusion, identity and belonging.
The Talking Circle was commissioned by Nottingham Playhouse and Nottingham Trent University to accompany the award-winning play Punch by James Graham, an adaptation of Right from Wrong by Jacob Dunne. It was designed by NTU alumna Imogen Melhuish (BA (Hons) Theatre Design, 2019).