For more details see: Events | Festival of Social Science or contact Ben Meller and Ellie Hart.
How can we address weight-related bullying in schools?
Monday 20th October
Fairfield High School
Lead researcher: Lis Grey
Closed event
Our research has highlighted that very few schools specifically mention weight-related bullying in their bullying and behaviour policies. We have been engaging with local secondary school staff to understand their views on this topic and, in this event, we will take our findings to school students. Students will have the opportunity to ask questions about the evidence, discuss how this fits with their personal experience and say what they think research needs to focus on next.
In these events with students at the schools, the researchers will give a brief talk to introduce their research on weight-related bullying in schools. This will be followed by a discussion on this topic with the students, which will be recorded live by an artist in illustrated minutes.
It Feels Like This: An Immersive Exhibition about Grief
October 25th, 2 – 6.30pm
Unit 8, Parkway Trading Estate, St Werburgh’s
Event booking link
Lead researcher: Lesel Dawson
While everyone will experience grief, our society often sees bereavement as something we should ‘get over’ quickly. ‘Stepping into Grief’ is a small, multisensory, immersive exhibition that invites people to slow down and make space for grief. Bringing together a small group of young artists and community partners, our exhibition will provoke the senses and open up conversations about death and grief.
Good Grief Festival and Let’s Talk About Loss, a bereavement charity for 18-35 year olds, will support the event.
Alternative Economies
Monday 27th October
Lead researcher: Claudia Firth
Closed event
A networking event for four organisations, Afrikan Connexions Consortium, the Bristol Commons, Knowle West Media Centre/Greengage, and the People’s Republic of Stokes Croft to share their practices, the constituencies they work with, their methods of engagement, and their interest in alternative economies.
Playfulness in Storytelling
Thursday 30th October, various times
Bristol Museum
Lead researcher: Narla Rose
Play and storytelling are powerful tools for young children’s growth because they offer an engaging way for them to develop their critical thinking skills and make meaningful decisions within the new worlds that they invent. In these fun and interactive storytelling workshops, children aged between 4 and 7 years old will embark on a journey where their imagination takes the lead.
Inspiring Women Talk: Clare Siviter
Monday 3rd November, 5:30 – 6:30pm
Easton Community Centre
Lead researcher: Clare Siviter
The inspiring women series aims to platform the voices of women in Bristol. In this edition, we will hear from Clare as she explores the realities of being a working mother. It isn’t just a talk – it’s a conversation. Clare will share stories from her research of historical women who broke boundaries: actresses with maternity rights over 200 years ago, female entrepreneurs who resisted being confined to the private sphere, and creatives who redefined what women could do. These trailblazers were written out of history, but their stories offer radical models for today.
How should we design technology to address loneliness?
Wednesday 5th November, 4 – 6pm
Bristol Digital Futures Institute
Event booking link
Lead researcher: Lis Grey
Our research is looking at loneliness and how technology might be used to address this among three groups: neurodivergent young people; people with neurodegenerative disorders and their supporters/carers. These groups are all at higher risk of loneliness yet are under-represented in research and product design. In this event we will discuss our findings with technology developers and associated industry stakeholders and work together to get their feedback and explore solutions/future research.
Working together well: What can we do to care for people and nature?
Thursday 6th November, 6 – 8pm
Barton Hill Microcampus
Lead researcher: Zakiya Mckenzie
This workshop asks how we can draw on good practice already happening in Bristol. We ask these questions to tackle inequality in ‘mainstream’ environmentalism, and to open up opportunities for Global Majority communities who may be interested in green skills and jobs in future.
Involving and engaging global majority women in digital health research in the context of labour care
Friday 7th November
Barton Hill Microcampus
Lead researcher: Veronica Blanco Gutierrez
Closed event
A pop-up exhibition and workshop exploring women’s consent in labour around baby monitoring. We will uncover barriers, discover gaps, and share good practice points in the consent process, while also creating practical, women-driven ideas for change. This event is part of a wider project that seeks to ensure that women’s voices shape real solutions and that the journey towards making informed consent equitable and accessible is shared by all.
Involving and engaging global majority women in digital health research in the context of labour care
Week of the 20th October
Southmead Hospital
Lead researcher: Veronica Blanco Gutierrez
A pop-up exhibition exploring women’s consent in labour around baby monitoring. We will uncover barriers, discover gaps, and share good practice points in the consent process, while also creating practical, women-driven ideas for change. This event is part of a wider project that seeks to ensure that women’s voices shape real solutions and that the journey towards making informed consent equitable and accessible is shared by all.