Between 2020 and 2022 we ran a range of events showcasing Lothian Diaries contributions, training young researchers, and engaging with communities in Edinburgh.
23-28 November 2022
“Close to Home: Reflections on Lockdown in the Lothians” was an exhibition at InSpace at the University of Edinburgh. See the ‘Awards’ page for more.
25 November 2021
“Looking to the future: Lessons from the young people of the Lothian Diary Project.” To coincide with the launch of our report to the Scottish Parliament, we held an online, non-partisan roundtable as part of the 2021 ESRC Festival of Social Science. We welcomed MSPs and their representatives, other policymakers, charity representatives, and young participants of the Lothian Diary Project and discussed experiences of the lockdown periods specific to the younger generations.
18-20 November 2021
“Life after Lockdown: the Lothian Diary Project” was a COVID-19 reflection event at the Leith Walk Police Box as part of Being Human: A Festival of the Humanities. Participants could hear about our project findings, interact with some of our video and audio diaries, and to think back on their own experiences.
30 May & 27 June 2021
“Become a Young Researcher with The Lothian Diary Project” was a three day Citizen Science event at the Leith Walk Police Box sponsored by the ESRC Festival of Social Sciences. We invited people under 16 to come learn about social science and speech research and learn how to make a high-quality audio recording. Participants received a certificate of completion and got to choose a charity to support with a £5 donation.
13-14 November 2020
“Lothian Lockdown @ Leith Walk Police Box” was an event that was part of the 2020 ESRC Festival of Social Science. We set up shop at the Leith Walk Police Box, a community popup space on Leith Walk, and gave passersby the chance to find out more about the project, and even to create their own video/audio diaries inside the antique police box.
12 November 2020
“Sharing Hidden Lockdown Stories” was a virtual event held with the support of the 2020 ESRC Festival of Social Science. This event marked the launch of our second phase of participant recruitment, during which we focused on finding and recruiting participants people from minoritised backgrounds, those living with chronic illnesses or disabilities and their carers, those with no permanent home, and those who are “digitally excluded”. As many of these people were worst affected by the pandemic, it was vital that their experiences be documented. The event was directed at local charitable and third-sector organisations, to allow them to discover the project, to share their thoughts about which stories may remain hidden, and to get involved to help us to uncover them. Organisations who decided to become partners were able earn £5 for each participant referred by them, in addition to the £15 paid to the participant.
2020-ongoing
“Life in a Pandemic: The Lothian Diary Project” was a virtual event that was held as part of the 2020 iteration of Being Human: A Festival of the Humanities. This event launched the Lothian Diary Project Map of Lockdown, which allowed visitors to our site to engage with our project through looking at the places that were significant to our participants during the pandemic. Visitors were also given the chance to add their own pins to our map, representing places that had special meaning to them.
Go here to explore The Lothian Diary Project Map of Lockdown
