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Time to Themes.

The four Time to Themes are Time to Reflect, Time to Relate, Time to Trust and Time to Heal.

They represent key, emerging themes identified by the Inquiry during our journey. The themes are invitations to recognise how time plays out in our work.

Four absract shapes sit in a quadrant. They are black against a white background.
An abstract shapes of a sand timer is in dark red, against a lighter red background. The words "Time to Reflect" are in the middle of the shape in white.

Time to Reflect

What do we mean by this?

Culturally, we have been in a loop of being reactive and repeating past mistakes. Many of us crave having more time to think, to slow down, to reflect. 

We acknowledge it takes time to reflect. Embedding a reflective practice is a catalyst for pausing, noticing and acting — a catalyst for awareness and purposeful action. Reflective practice helps us cultivate more nourishing and transformative ways of being and doing. By breaking the reactive loop we can offer fresh possibilities as an alternative to reactive habits. 

An abstract shape of web is in a light olive colour, against a darker olive colour background. The words "Time to Relate" are in the middle of the shape in white.

Time to Relate

What do we mean by this?

We often work in silos, separated from each other, with power holding perspectives and power-holding structures dominating our experience. It’s time to work more relationally, to embrace the human aspects of our work and come together in a more generative form of partnership. 

It takes time to relate, to build relationships and co-create. The Inquiry found that centering relational collaborations was extremely impactful and transformational – and it was also hard to do. Working relationally is often against the dominant narrative and it requires time, support and practice. There are some contexts and cultures that support this way of working. Let’s learn from them, and learn to recognise where relational ways of working are already valued and and included in our current systems.

An abstract shape of building blocks stacked on top of each other are in light blue, against a darker blue background. The words "Time to Trust" are in the middle of the shape in white.

Time to Trust

What we mean by this?

Trust has been broken because of abuse of power (conscious and unconscious) and by us not accepting our differences. It’s time to start building relationships with trust at the centre. The Inquiry acknowledges the complexity of trust, which requires a delicate balance of openness and vulnerability on one hand, and testing and questioning on the other. It’s not about naively trusting, but about recognising how trust can either open doors or keep them firmly shut. We need to reflect on what conditions make us feel safe to trust and how we can build these foundations together. Each of us need to feel confident in trusting others, and part of that is knowing how we can cultivate that sense of security in our relationships and also recognise when it isn’t available.

The implication is that it takes time to trust. The Inquiry built trust with communities and individuals doing social action by being flexible with resources, needs and pace. We also built trust with each other and with the Partners in the Inquiry. We all need to include more time to listen and be accountable to what is being said.

An abstract shape of a flower is in light purple, against a darker purple background. The words "Time to Heal" are in the middle of the shape in white.

Time to Heal

What we mean by this?

Some of our systems are causing us pain and suffering. It’s time for us to recognise that fact, and to take time to heal. Healing can be a slow process, so listen and be kind. Acknowledge and recognise that it may not be possible to begin healing when you are still being hurt. There’s a shadow side to what drives social change and social action. When we call for change, that call can come from a place of pain or exclusion. 

There is no one way to heal. The Inquiry embedded dreaming and a reflective practice to support us to bring in our whole self. We incorporated joy and self-care into our work in order to plant the seed for healing. Nurturing a dreaming space can be an opening to reflect, touch into and heal some of those painful experiences.

Want to see all the learnings in one resource?

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Explore our Guidebook Helping Change Happen.

Wavicle Podcast

Explore our 8 episode podcast series Wavicle in the resources section.

Wavicle is the podcast series that reflects on the process of being part of Social Action Inquiry Scotland. We delve into what has emerged for us during this process of being part of the Inquiry, we highlight our learnings and unlearnings, and we explore the topics that have been rooted within us.