Stories in Transition: Examining the role of arts, culture and sport in supporting veteran transition to civilian life

The Stories in Transition project pioneers creative methods to co-produce research with veterans about the role of arts, sport and culture activities in supporting military-to-civilian transition. In the aftermath of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan British veterans have received unprecedented attention from media, government and the wider public. Increasingly, arts, sport and cultural activities are being used to support veterans; high profile theatre projects, such as "The Two Worlds of Charlie F", and sporting initiatives, such the Invictus Games, are good examples of this new trend. Whilst organisations using arts, sport and culture are popular with veterans, they do not have a strong evidence base and we do not understand why these activities could benefit veterans.

Current research on veterans is dominated by health perspectives and focuses on easily measurable outcomes like rates of alcoholism and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Missing from this research are veterans' experiences, explained in their own words, as they adapt to civilian life and make sense of their new identity. It is known that veterans may experience alienation, and many grieve the loss of their military way of life and comradeship.

The Stories in Transition project recognises that becoming a civilian is a more complicated social and cultural process that goes beyond the need for housing, employment and healthcare. This project aims to explore how veterans author their own stories about life after military service through participation in arts, sport and culture activities, and through producing creative documentary films. The project is unique because it engages with veterans in a creative and empowering way. Unlike measuring instrumental transition 'outcomes', like scores on a questionnaire, we are interested in what transition itself really means to veterans and what they think they get out of participating in arts, sport and culture activities.

This inter-disciplinary project combines creative and collaborative research methodologies with a rigorous case study design to study three veterans' organisations that use sailing, theatre and archaeology in their work. Veterans' voices are at the heart of the research process, and they will work with researchers in the fields of critical military studies, participatory arts and creative practice methodologies to co-produce and co-author their own transition stories and engage in collective reflection about their participation in arts, sport and culture activities.

Professionally-edited creative documentary films will share new knowledge of veterans' military and post-military lives, and showcase the role of arts, sport and culture in supporting their transition to civilian life. The research has the potential to transform our understanding of both transition and the unique opportunities of arts, sport and culture activities. In doing so, it will provide the partner organisations, veteran community, military charity sector, practitioners of arts, sport and culture, and the wider public with new knowledge of what transition 'is' and how arts, sport and culture can best be used to support veterans.

In the highly medicalised sector of veteran transition, we urgently need more opportunities for veterans to create knowledge about their own lives and to creatively re-imagine the possibilities for 'transition' to civilian life. We also need a better understanding of transition and knowledge of the ways arts, sport and culture activities may provide unique forms of support (see Case for Support). The research will generate impact in two main areas: veteran transition to civilian life, and the role of arts, sport and culture interventions in promoting wellbeing and social cohesion. We have four impact goals: 1) Transform understandings of veteran transition to civilian life; 2) Inform and improve partner organisations' delivery of services to user-groups; 3) Enhance capacity of provider organisations to self-reflect and self-evaluate; 4) Inform and improve the development of policy for the government's strategy on veterans. Realising these goals will benefit the following groups:

1. Veteran participants will be empowered to creatively reflect on the meaning of their military service and transition to civilian life, their identity, and their experience of participation in arts, sport and culture activities. Peer researchers will gain new competencies in research methods, film production, communication and project management skills. These benefits will be meaningful to participants and we expect them to endure beyond the research.

2. Our partner organisations and the wider military charity sector (e.g. Royal British Legion, Blesma, Families Federations, the Confederation of Service Organisations) have called for a stronger evidence base for arts, sport and culture based interventions. They will benefit from independent analysis of their activities, increased capacity to evaluate and improve their own work, co-development of 'best practice' principles, and creative outputs that showcase veteran-created knowledge about the role of arts, sport and culture activities.

3. Organisations that use or promote arts, sport, and culture activities to support wellbeing, health and social cohesion (e.g. Arts Refuge UK, Social Prescribing Network, Arts Council England, Sport England, Sense, What Works Centre for Wellbeing, Mind) will benefit from knowledge of adaptations necessary for veteran clients, and knowledge about the role of social and cultural narratives in shaping identity transitions. The methodology informing the research is also a model for user-collaboration in evaluating impact on wellbeing.

4. Policymakers. Our project will address the 'community and relationships', 'health and wellbeing' and 'making a home in civilian society' elements of the government's 'Strategy for our Veterans' (2018) and will generate evidence-based recommendations. Ministry of Defence and Defence Select Committee, APPGs (Veterans; Arts, Health & Wellbeing) will benefit from new evidence for arts, sport and culture interventions, and a better understanding of transition as it is experienced. Other departments who share responsibility for veteran support will benefit, including NHS England (esp. Veterans Trauma Network), housing associations (e.g., Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government), Ministry of Justice (e.g., Project NOVA Veterans Support Service).

5. Employers of Veterans. Much employer support for veterans focuses on skills. Businesses who have signed the Armed Forces Covenant (e.g., Barclays VETS program, Sky, Post Office) will benefit from knowledge about veteran identity which will enable them to develop inclusive workplaces and inform their policies on recruiting and retaining Service leavers.

6. Wider publics - many of whom are increasingly disconnected from military communities - will gain insight about transition, veterans, and the importance of identity. They will also benefit from learning about the role of arts, sport and culture activities in supporting life transitions more generally.