People tell their stories better and gain life skills when they’re treated as equal participants, not issues to be reported on
Matthew Kidd co-produced the Guardian film Made in Bury, part of the Made in
Britain seriesWhen you work for a grassroots organisation with people who have experienced poverty, homelessness and substance abuse, it can be a long and tiring battle trying to get people to take your work seriously. We have no university stamp to validate our expertise and no clever head of marketing to ensure our work is well publicised. What we do have is the trust and faith of communities who know that we are here for the long term, and don’t just want to claim their stories to make a quick buck.
I work for a project called The Elephants Trail, based in Bury and Rochdale, which creates spaces for local people to explore issues around disadvantage, and to produce solutions to these problems with agencies and professionals. Too often, people with criminal convictions, a history of substance abuse and enduring mental health issues have no opportunity to talk about issues that affect them, in the media or in public life in general. The Elephants Trail sought to change this.
Matthew Kidd is the founder and director of Creative Inclusion, which finds ways to include people who have faced severe disadvantage in policy decisions which affect them