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thebinkshub.bsky.social
The Binks Hub
@thebinkshub.bsky.social
260 followers 230 following 92 posts
We are a network of academics, researchers, community orgs and practitioners using creativity and the arts to co-create research that makes a difference to people’s lives. Based in @edfuturesinstitute.bsky.social. Find out more: https://binks-hub.ed.ac.uk
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thebinkshub.bsky.social
📣New on the blog

Charlotte Day, student of MSc Global Mental Health & Society @edinburgh-uni.bsky.social, shares a personal and thought-provoking reflection on friendship, care and risk in social work. Her dissertation challenges how we think about relationships.

Read here: edin.ac/3LldQNM
Collage image created by Charlotte Day, as inspiration for her dissertation. It features mostly red-coloured images, from nature, with words/phrases torn from headlines including "Building togetherness", "labout of love", "Journey into the light" and "A tender balancing act".
November 3, 2025 at 11:31 AM
thebinkshub.bsky.social
✨ What if repair could be poetic not just practical?

Join us for a full-day workshop in collaboration with Utopia Lab @edfuturesinstitute.bsky.social

Wed 4 Dec | 10am–4pm

Book: edin.ac/3L2k7Ot

Bring a broken object and explore how poetry, sculpture & storytelling can help us mend what matters.
The Poetry of Art and Impractical Repairs What can we do when the breakage of a precious object requires and emotional more than a physical repair? Join Jennifer Williams, Josephine Balfour-Oatts and Jimmy Turner for a day-long Utopia Lab exploring the potential of the use of poetry, creative writing and sculpture to effect reapirs of broken and damaged objects, attending to feelings and sentiment as much as to practical fixes. Thursday 4th December, 10am-4pm, Edinburgh Futures Institute
November 3, 2025 at 9:31 AM
thebinkshub.bsky.social
⚖️Reframing Criminal Justice

Dec 3rd | @edfuturesinstitute.bsky.social

Join us for a half-day seminar on creative, community-led justice reform and explore lived experience shaping policy, research and practice. Open to researchers, practitioners & the community-all welcome!

More: edin.ac/4p684yn
Reframing Criminal Justice Professional Development Seminar A half-day event on criminal justice, hosted at EFI by The Binks Hub and REALITIES. Join us for an inspiring seminar on reframing criminal justice. The Binks Hub and REALITIES are excited to welcome attendees to a half-day event exploring and championing change within the Scottish criminal justice system. Linking to our Easter Ross and North Lanarkshire Hubs, as well as to our Release Reimagined workstream, REALITIES has explored, worked with, and championed change within the Scottish criminal justice system. REALITIES (Researching Evidence-based Alternatives in Living, Imaginative, Traumatised, Integrated, Embodied Systems) in Health Disparities is a transdisciplinary UKRI funded project which explores how we might re-imagine the health and social care systems so that they might better respond to the needs of the communities who use them. Whether it is through the creation of theatre pieces, the advocating for accreditation workshops, or the creation of safe spaces to create art and build community, the findings from the project have far-reaching and exciting outputs that will be shared in the seminar. In particular, we will invite attendees to discuss and brainstorm about what this may suggest about the future of criminal justice policy, research and/or practice. Open to researchers, practitioners, and community members, everyone is welcome to connect and learn.
October 31, 2025 at 12:13 PM
thebinkshub.bsky.social
How can communities shape responses to poverty and precarity?

Our latest blog reflects on our largest exhibition of participatory social research. Showcasing creative collaborations from quilts to collage, learn how we're working to transform research and policy.

Read the blog: edin.ac/4hE084S
Image of InSpace on the day of the event, with people looking at exhibitions and a large projector showing 'Poverty, precarity and community empowerment: Who decides?'
October 29, 2025 at 9:41 AM
thebinkshub.bsky.social
📚 Our Creative Research Methods Reading Group is back!

Join us each week to explore bold, imaginative approaches to research. Open to all curious minds - come read, reflect and connect ✨

Find out more and view the upcoming readings: edin.ac/4okZAmj
Creative research methods reading group Our popular online reading group for creative research methods is back for a new semester! Each session we will focus on creative and artistically engaged methods for research. The emphasis will be on practice and the application of methods. We may invite participants to experiment between reading group meetings, but this is not required. You do not have to be an academic or a student to join this reading group, but you should have an interest in creative methods. Open to all.
October 17, 2025 at 10:38 AM
thebinkshub.bsky.social
It was an honour to be a part of the showcase at the @edinburgh-uni.bsky.social Community Plan 2025-30 launch tonight at @edfuturesinstitute.bsky.social - a great evening celebrating an engaging, inclusive plan with lots of interesting conversations ✨
Photo of the Binks Hub at the Community Plan launch - an easel with a poster, a screen print displayed on a stand, and a roller banner. Photo of the audience at the event Photo of the audience and speaker at the event Photo of University of Edinburgh Community Plan 2025-30
October 8, 2025 at 7:45 PM
thebinkshub.bsky.social
Working Creatively with children & young people from minority ethnic backgrounds✨

10 Nov | 2pm | Charteris Land

Join us for an engaging workshop exploring creative & collaborative approaches - expect rich discussion, resource sharing & space to reflect on your own practice

More: edin.ac/4gsx9jI
Working creatively with children and young people from minority ethnic backgrounds This workshop will introduce participants to recent research with children and young people from minority ethnic backgrounds. We will explore what we have learned about how to work creatively and collaboratively with these children and young people. The workshop will begin with three short presentations relating to recent research from Robina Rubin, Dr Kristina Konstantoni and Dr Kamal Dokurugu Ibrahim.
September 19, 2025 at 10:01 AM
thebinkshub.bsky.social
Thrilled to share this dynamic event coming up with @iashedinburgh.bsky.social✨

‘The Pill. Angry Chuckles’ is a poetry exhibition capturing contraceptive experiences, paired with a roundtable exploring creative methods and sexual health research.

26 Sep | 5-7pm | IASH

More info: edin.ac/3HGUcu9
The Pill. Angry Chuckles. A Poetry Exhibition on contraceptive experiences. Friday 26 September, 17:00 - 19:00 The Institute for Advanced Studeies in the Humanities (IASH), The University of Edinburgh, 1-5 Hope Park Square 17:00-18:00: Roundtable on creative methods in research on sexual and reproductive health Speakers: Chase Ledin & Nandini Manjunath Chair: Marie Larsson 18:00-19:00: Drinks reception and exhibition
September 16, 2025 at 9:41 AM
thebinkshub.bsky.social
🌍 How can we weave planetary health into public health research, policy and practice? Join us for a half-day seminar at @edfuturesinstitute.bsky.social

🗓️ October 1st, 10am

Explore the power of green prescribing and community-led approaches to health and wellbeing!

Register: edin.ac/4mdx4BB
Join us for an inspiring seminar on green prescribing and planetary health. The Binks Hub and REALITIES are excited to welcome attendees to a half-day event exploring alternative approaches to health and wellbeing. Focusing on green prescribing and planetary health, the first half of the seminar will open the floor to project teams to share their real-world insights into what’s working, where the gaps are, and how we can collectively move forward through community research and engagement. In the second half, we will hear from invited organisations who are paving the way in integrating green prescribing in their communities; offering their valuable perspectives on how planetary health and local initiatives are linked. Open to researchers, health practitioners, and community members, everyone is welcome to connect and learn.
September 15, 2025 at 10:47 AM
thebinkshub.bsky.social
We are so excited to be exhibiting alongside our project partners at @inspacegallery.bsky.social today! Featuring artworks from @povertytruthscot.bsky.social, Midlothian Voices, Artlink, Outwith @edopenresearch.bsky.social and The Ripple ✨
Picture of a collage made up of four seasons, from the Binks Hub flourishing project Image of a quilt, made up of collage images from the Poverty Truth Community network Images from Outwith projects, including Empowered Journeys exploring breast cancer journeys Image of the exhibition welcome sign - Poverty, precarity and community empowerment: Who decides?
September 3, 2025 at 2:09 PM
thebinkshub.bsky.social
POVERTY, PRECARITY & COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT: WHO DECIDES?

Join us and our incredible community partners for an exhibition exploring poverty and precarity

🗓️ Sep 3rd
📍 Inspace
🕐 Drop-in, 1pm–4pm

With collaborations from:
✨ Ripple Project
✨ Poverty Truth Community
✨ Our Voices
✨ Artlink
✨ Outwith
Poverty, precarity and community engagement: Who decides? Join us and our community partners for an exhibition showcasing the impactful work of the Binks Hub research network. Reflect with us on the importance of co-creating solutions to economic and wealth inequality that respond to local needs, build social resilience and empower communities. Featuring co-created artistic works from research projects with: - The Ripple Project - Poverty Truth Community - Our Voices at Midlothian Sure Start - Artlink Edinburgh - Outwith: Participatory Research and the Library WEDNESDAY 3RD SEPTEMBER Inspace, Crichton Street EXHIBITION OPEN TO DROP IN: 1PM - 4PM
August 11, 2025 at 1:55 PM
thebinkshub.bsky.social
A pleasure to welcome MSPs and policy makers to our exhibition at the Scottish Parliament today, a huge thanks to those who dropped by!

#CreativeResearch #CreativeMethods @edfuturesinstitute.bsky.social @rozmccallmsp.bsky.social @benmacpherson.bsky.social @scotparl.bsky.social
Photo of MSP Roz McCall and Ripple Director Rachel Green Photo of MSP Collette Stevenson and Tristan from the Ripple Photo of MSP Ash Regan and Ripple Director Rachel Green Photo of MSP Ben MacPherson at the exhibition with Ripple Project staff
June 18, 2025 at 8:02 PM
thebinkshub.bsky.social
We are honoured to be exhibiting our co-created artworks with the Ripple Project at the Scottish Parliament this week!

#CreativeMethods #AcademicSky #CreativeResearch #Community
Photo of a framed artwork and a sculpture in exhibition space with a sign: "The Ripple Project, Manifesting the Future of Lochend, Restalrig and Craigentinny" Wide shot photo of exhibition space with artworks Photo with sculpture in the foreground and tapestries in the background. Wide shot photo of exhibition space showing tapestries, framed artwork and sculpture.
June 17, 2025 at 8:54 PM
thebinkshub.bsky.social
Our Co-Director Emma Davidson is speaking at a social policy seminar on youth employment!

📆Monday 23rd June
🕑10.30am-12pm
📍EFI, room 4.35

Book and find out more here: edin.ac/43BiyN1

@edfuturesinstitute.bsky.social @uoe-sps.bsky.social @haylesben.bsky.social #AcademicSky
Event invite to Youth Employment seminar - Monday 23rd June, 10:30am-12pm, Room 4.35 in Edinburgh Futures Institute. Speakers: Hannah King, Kevin Ralston, Emma Davidson.
May 30, 2025 at 9:23 AM
thebinkshub.bsky.social
Discover more about our community research approach through Co-Director Emma Davidson's insights from the University of Queensland symposium, and learn how we employ creative methods to forge partnerships. Read here: edin.ac/4maTgxs

#AcademicSky @edfuturesinstitute.bsky.social @uoe-sps.bsky.social
Image of a Queensland beach at sunset
May 13, 2025 at 10:47 AM
thebinkshub.bsky.social
🌟The Power of Purpose🌟 Led by Take Note, this workshop series is designed to help charities and social change orgs articulate their purpose. Don't miss this chance to strengthen your organisation's impact!

📅 22nd May, 5th June, 17th June
🕒 1-2pm
📍 Online

🔗 Learn more & register: edin.ac/4iKT7ht
Screenshot of the sign-up page for The Power of Purpose workshop series, featuring a silhouette of a hand throwing a paper aeroplane into the sky.
May 12, 2025 at 2:57 PM
thebinkshub.bsky.social
Our Co-Director Emma Davidson writes on the blog about the value of slowing down the pace of research, and centring care, creativity, and collaboration in our ways of working ✨

Read here: edin.ac/4iZzfY2

#AcademicSky @uoe-sps.bsky.social @edfuturesinstitute.bsky.social @edinburgh-uni.bsky.social
Image of a snail on a log
May 12, 2025 at 2:30 PM
thebinkshub.bsky.social
We're delighted to offer a new series of online workshops in collaboration with Take Note and CRFR ✨

Led by Marianna Hay MBE, these workshops aim to support Scottish charities and grassroots social change organisations in creating effective impact.

Find out more and register here: edin.ac/4iKT7ht
Screenshot of Eventbrite page for the Power of Purpose workshop series.
May 2, 2025 at 11:57 AM
thebinkshub.bsky.social
Our friend @jeanmmcewanartist.bsky.social is putting together a collective webzine for #WorldEarthDay🌍 Contribute your love letter to the planet! Find out more▶️
theearthisus.github.io/theearthisus/

Deadline: 11 April

@byleaveswelive.bsky.social @creativeboom.com @edincollegeofart.bsky.social
The Earth is Us: Love Letters to the Earth Call out for contributions to collective webzine for World Earth Day 2025 https://theearthisus.github.io/theearthisus/
April 1, 2025 at 2:33 PM
thebinkshub.bsky.social
Our friend & collaborator Bobby Sayers is hosting @edincollegeofart.bsky.social's National Saturday Club exhibition this Thursday, 3rd April, 5-7pm!

Meet the young people who participated in the National Saturday Club, their families, and the ECA Fine Art students who co-created the curriculum ✨
National Saturday Club Artworks and experiments by this year's NSC ECA members 5-7pm, Thursday 3rd April ECA Main Building
April 1, 2025 at 12:13 PM
thebinkshub.bsky.social
Over on our blog we have a new guest post from Marissa Salvaterra, student of the MSc in Global Mental Health and Society at @edinburgh-uni.bsky.social, on the poetry for wellbeing project ✍️

Click to find out more about this fascinating work and Marissa's poetic response: edin.ac/4atNqSv
Photo of flowers, cup of tea, book of poetry
January 17, 2025 at 2:39 PM