Riverside ECHG and Westminster City Council - Appreciating People

"Back on Your Feet"  is a new approach to working with service users in a positive and strength focused way, using Appreciative Inquiry to build resilience[1] in hostel residents (theory indicates that resilient individuals “bounce back” from stressful experiences more quickly and effectively).   Appreciative Inquiry (AI) has been used as an intervention to improve the self-esteem, motivation, and aspirations of hostel residents. It includes structured, positive conversations used in a group or individual session, art activities such as creating a vision of an ideal future, and individual development work such as keeping a gratitude journal.  Our project has developed an effective model to apply AI in any hostel/supported housing setting.  The project started at King George’s hostel (a high support hostel specialising in working with chaotic drug users) and has now been rolled out into a variety of hostel settings across Westminster with excellent sustained outcomes. Click on the link to find out more about the work they are carrying out in Westminster: www.appreciatingpeople.co.uk

Watch our video below for more information about the project:

From Appreciating People on Vimeo.

Commended project, 2012 Awards