Voices beyond the pandemic

Between January 2021 and August 2022, the AHRC-funded Voices in a Pandemic: Children’s Lockdown Experience Applied to Recovery (VIP-CLEAR) project explored the impact of COVID-19 on learning, development, and health and wellbeing of Bristol children. Activities were delivered and researched in partner schools in socially disadvantaged areas and a freely available children’s book with teacher resources was developed from the research findings.

This project, funded by UWE Bristol’s College of Health, Science and Society (CHSS) Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF) – Knowledge Exchange and Impact Fund, aimed to exchange learning gained through VIP-CLEAR, and assess its impact by: 

• engaging children and staff in selected Worcestershire settings with the book and accompanying teacher resources
• taking the ‘deep mapping’ and ‘trees of hope and ambition’ activities developed during VIP-CLEAR to these new partners
• evaluating the impact of the book and activities in these new and different contexts.

This project is delivered by staff from the College of Health, Science and Society (CHSS) at UWE Bristol (Dr Laura Hobbs, Dr Amanda Webber, Dr Toity Deave and Dr Verity Jones) and independent artists, Luci Gorell Barnes and Rich Hughes.

The CHSS team, along with Luci Gorell Barnes, worked on VIP-CLEAR and bring together relevant expertise across primary education, public engagement, science communication, environmental science and engagement, child health, geography and anthropology.