Latest news with #MuseumDevelopmentNorth
Telegraph
12 hours ago
- General
- Telegraph
Museums put trigger warning on manual about trigger warnings
A group of museums have put a trigger warning on a new training manual about trigger warnings. The 'trigger toolkit' provides advice on how to prevent heritage sector workers becoming traumatised in training sessions. The manual suggests issuing content warnings to alert staff to any upsetting material, ranging from 'Islamphobia' to 'transphobia' and 'colonialism'. But the document has itself been given a trigger warning, cautioning readers about its own 'potentially triggering content'. The guidance was shared by Museum Development North, a heritage sector organisation that works in partnership with Arts Council England. The manual was produced to help staff in the heritage sector handle material relating to British history, and periods in which 'intolerant, discriminatory, and offensive attitudes and behaviours were significantly more prevalent than they are today '. The guidance warns that museum workers will inevitably have to discuss 'material which represents a break with the diverse social and cultural landscape of the present day '. It states that this may be emotionally triggering, and some workers may not be able to 'comfortably engage with the material at hand'. The manual urges museum bosses to clearly signpost any material that could be emotionally disturbing, and provides a list of topics that could be upsetting. These topics include 'classism', 'politics', 'policing', 'transmisogyny', and 'genomics' – the study of an organism's genetic structure. The guidance also advises museum workers to flag triggering content in all emails, discussions, presentations, and training materials. It adds that staff can recognise if material is triggering by the reaction to it, including people 'crying'. If a training session has been particularly triggering, psychological aftercare should be provided to any upset participants. The guidance states: 'Preventing triggers from happening is the most effective and inclusive way of demonstrating an active commitment to your training participants' mental health and psychological wellbeing.' Trigger warnings have become widespread across British universities and the publishing industry. In 2024, The Telegraph revealed that new editions of the James Bond novels and Agatha Christie mysteries had been given printed trigger warnings alerting readers to potentially outdated and racist attitudes in the books. Passages of these books were also rewritten ahead of release to remove words that could be deemed offensive. The Telegraph has previously revealed that Works by Virginia Woolf, Ernest Hemingway, EM Forster and PG Wodehouse have been given trigger warnings, cautioning readers about their more antiquated contents. In higher education, students have been alerted to the potentially upsetting nature of literary works from Beowulf to the novels of Thomas Hardy.
Times
a day ago
- Health
- Times
‘Trigger toolkit' for museums comes with its own warning
A guide that advises prominent museums on how to deal with sensitive topics including divorce, poverty and violence put a content warning on its own 27-page 'trigger toolkit'. The booklet was released by Museum Development North, which is a partnership funded by Arts Council England between York Museums Trust, the Manchester Museums Partnership, Cumbria Museum Consortium and North East Museums. The aim of the booklet is to 'support organisations working across the sector to take a practical approach to preventing, responding to and managing a triggering event within a training session'. The 27-page guide, called 'Trigger Toolkit', advises leaders in the heritage sector on how to prepare training content that will reduce the likelihood of staff being 'triggered' during their work with collections or artefacts. • Chocolat author Joanne Harris adds trigger warnings to her books Due to 'sensitive' topics, the training guide has two pages of warnings in large red type that states: 'The following two pages contain potentially triggering content.' People working in the heritage sector are exposed to collections that include 'racist and intolerant artefacts', which could bring back childhood trauma and prompt memories of 'offensive language and name calling', the toolkit states. Included among the more than 40 topics that could affect museum staff were death, divorce, childbirth, debt, violence, politics, classism and warfare. Gambling, hateful language, the climate emergency, disease, the criminal justice system, policing, and natural disasters were among other examples of 'possible triggering topics' included in the toolkit. The document cites 2022 research that describes a trigger as a 're-experiencing of unpleasant post traumatic stress disorder symptoms such as intrusive thoughts being evoked by the exposure to materials which spark traumatic memories'. Liz Main, a mental health policy expert who has studied trigger warnings, said: 'On balance I think trigger warnings can be a good thing as they can stop someone from seeing something that may upset them. However, the fact that the booklet is about trigger warnings would indicate to staff that there may be emotionally distressing content in there.' The toolkit was developed by Inclusive Boards in partnership with Museum Development Yorkshire. The guide states: 'Many artefacts and conversation subject matters relevant to the heritage sector speak to a time in which intolerant, discriminatory, and offensive attitudes and behaviours were significantly more prevalent than they are today … It is important that in navigating this history organisations ensure that equality, diversity and inclusion is a priority.' Museum Development North had no further comment.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Museums put trigger warning on new training booklet about trigger warnings - because it mentions addiction, natural disasters, slavery and poverty
A group of museums have put a trigger warning on a new training manual about trigger warnings because it mentions 'sensitive' topics like poverty and the slave trade. The 'Trigger Toolkit' aims to foster a new generation of leaders that can tackle the challenge of 'reducing the likelihood of an emotional trigger occurring'. But ironically, the guide has slapped its own bright red warning on one of its first few pages, which reads: 'The following two pages contain potentially triggering content.' The booklet was released by Museum Development North - a partnership funded by Arts Council England between York Museums Trust, the Manchester Museums Partnership, Cumbria Museum Consortium and North East Museums - and it will help staff during their training. The pamphlet states it is 'intended to support organisations working across the sector to take a practical approach to preventing, responding to and managing a triggering event within a training session', adding: 'It supports and can be part of an organisation's tools and training for becoming more equitable, diverse and inclusive.' According to the guide, emotional triggers are likely within the heritage sector because staff may have to review collections that include 'racist and intolerant artefacts' that could trigger childhood trauma and spark memories of 'offensive language and name calling.' Ironically, the guide has slapped its own bright red warning on one of its first few pages, which reads: 'The following two pages contain potentially triggering content' It also teaches managers how to support those who have become triggered and follow up with them to make sure they have the appropriate support. Topics discussed which could be seen as potentially triggering include modern day slavery, hate speech, debt, divorce, childbirth, miscarriages, violence and warfare, among others. An end note adds: 'The tools and techniques shared in this toolkit are collated with the intention of supporting individuals and organisations to prepare and deliver training with greater consideration of equity, diversity and inclusion. 'These are issues central to modernising the heritage sector, and if addressed with intention, compassion, and care, will grow the reach and impact of organisations' cultural offering.' Mental health policy expert Liz Main, who has studied trigger warnings, said: 'On balance I think trigger warnings can be a good thing as they can stop someone from seeing something that may upset them. 'However the fact that the booklet is about trigger warnings would indicate to staff that there may be emotionally distressing content in there.' Museum Development North was contacted for comment but has not responded. The pamphlet comes at a time when, in the last couple of months alone, cultural relics slapped with trigger warnings include George Orwell's 1984, Shakespeare's Hamlet, and an iconic BBC show.
