PEEL - Salvation Army
The PEEL programme is proven to have many measurable benefits to the mental health and well-being of its participants. As part of ASHA & Co’s ongoing relationship with The Salvation Army, several senior members of their Youth and Children’s Ministry Unit were invited to participate in a special PEEL programme run by Marksteen on the remote Gower peninsula in Wales.
The focus of this session was purely on photography, with the members of the team being encouraged to explore landscape, portraiture and photographing objects in detail using only black and white film. The attendees hoped that the experience would help them to create a space for building and celebrating the team. By enabling them to get to know one another better they could establish and deepen the bonds of trust and truth that existed between them.
The photography shown was all taken by attendees of the PEEL course.
“For me personally I found I was stretched and challenged in ways I hadn’t imagined. A trust that went beyond the superficial but into something far deeper – light indeed shining out of the darkness.”
Helen Schofield
The participants all found the weekend a challenging and deeply rewarding experience. PEEL is structured to enable people to gain a deeper understanding of themselves and others; this is certainly reflected in the feedback from the members of the team.
“The bit that I was most dreading, ended up being my highlight - The photo reveal. As they were placed on the table, and looked at and discussed, I became more content. They had caught something of me that is often hidden. I don’t hide deliberately but can feel pressure to ‘perform’ and in these photos I had to be still. As a result I felt seen. I felt known. What I looked like became almost insignificant. They captured something of who I am, something true.”
Jo Taylor
