Author: mike

Using creativity to help young people with mental health illnesses

a sculpture made by a young person living with mental health illnesses

Using Creativity to help young people with mental health illnesses

a sculpture made by a young person living with mental health illnesses

creative:tandem is our multi-artform programme empowering children and young people who have a serious mental health illness. For four years, we have been delivering projects at Snowsfields Adolescent Unit at Maudsley Hospital in South London. Our professional artists have been using creativity to help young patients develop their artwork and social skills, a creative means of increasing self-expression, self-esteem and confidence.

After a short pause during the COVID-19 pandemic, the project resumed this year over the Easter holidays via our Create Live! delivery mechanism over Zoom.

We spoke to Dionne Monarch, Lead Occupational Therapist Inpatient CAMHS and Day Patient Co-ordinator at Snowsfields, and Charlotte Ellis, Occupational Therapy Apprentice, about their work at Snowsfields, the value of creativity for the young people on the ward, and their experiences of Create.

“For somebody who is struggling to focus, being creative can be really centering”

Charlotte Ellis

Who do you work with?

Charlotte: We work with young people aged 13 to 18, with a range of diagnoses and symptoms. We often have admissions who have attempted to take their own life and feel like they can’t control those urges. We have young people with symptoms of psychosis, who may be experiencing delusions or unseen stimuli, and some with really low mood – very low depressions, lack of motivation to eat, lack of motivation to get up. We also have young people who are admitted with enduring manic episodes, and others with OCD-like symptoms. They come to us when they can no longer continue as normal and need a break for some treatment.

Dionne: At any one time, we don’t necessarily know who’s going to come through the door. They’re often the most unwell young people that you’ll come across, because they need to be in hospital. They might come against their will. These days, we see a lot more self-harm, and suicidal young people, things like eating disorders, OCD; and young people who struggle with relationships, who have often had a lot of trauma in their life.

a bracelet made by a young person living with mental health illnesses
A bracelet made by a young person at Snowsfields during a Create project

HOW DOES BEING CREATIVE BENEFIT THEM?

Dionne: I have worked with adolescents for about 21 years now, so I’ve seen a lot of young people over that time. I noticed very early on how creative they were. With young people, they don’t always have the language to describe what’s going on for them. They don’t know how to put it into words. But often they can do it through a creative route. The more tools you give them to be able to express what’s going on, to talk to you about what’s going on for them, the better.

Charlotte: Art groups are always really popular on the ward. There’s less expectation involved, as opposed to having a very formal conversation about how they’re feeling. When using materials like clay – we’ve done Create workshops with clay before, and jewellery – it’s very sensory orientated. They might not even create something at the end of it, it’s just about using the materials, and experimenting with them and feeling them in your hand and having a new experience. For somebody who is struggling to focus, it can be really centering. It can also bring on a huge sense of achievement when they do complete something. When they learn a new skill. The ward can be quite a routine and confining place: we ask the young people to stick to a schedule: you wake up at this time, you have medication at this time, you eat at this time and you eat the option of food we’ve given you. A lot of choice is taken away from them. But in creativity, they’re given so much choice to embrace.

Dionne: Each year we’ve had about five Create projects over the holiday periods. The holidays when you’re in hospital are really long: you’re stuck in hospital and all your friends are outside doing nice things. So the Create projects are ideal because we can offer them something a little bit special. When we get offered things like this, we jump at them. We have a regular programme that we provide, but it’s always special when you can add things to it, and work with professional artists. Someone coming from the outside and offering them some expertise really adds to their experience.

WHAT DID YOU GET UP TO DURING THE CREATIVE:TANDEM PROJECT THIS EASTER?

Charlotte: It was a four-day project and, because of the pandemic, we had the artists on a big projector screen with two iPads at either end. We did something different every day. We did a paper project at the beginning, where it’s one picture on one side and one picture on the other side. This was really fun, because it allowed a lot of freedom. We had a young person who just wanted to draw and draw and draw and draw. This is the first group he came to on the ward, and everyone was really impressed with how long he could sit down and focus on just drawing.

Read this case study

On the second day we decorated tote bags with spray paint and stencils. Some of the young people were very measured, and some got very experimental with all the materials. It was really nice, they had opportunities to be creative in different ways and how they wanted to do it. And the artists were really good at allowing them to express themselves, which is really key in an environment where lots of people struggle with lots of different symptoms.

The next day, we made sketchbooks, and the young people were allowed to fill them with whatever they wanted. You don’t often get given a notepad and told you can fill it in one day. So they enjoyed that.

On the last day we did weaving, which was really cool. It was a brand new skill for a lot of the young people. And quite a delicate one. This was really great. When the session was over, some of the young people stayed for another hour, and kept weaving. One of our young people really took that on and continued to do it.

weaving made by a young person living with mental health illnesses
An example of weaving during the Easter creative:tandem workshop

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT CREATE’S WORK?

Dionne: I think Create is amazing, I really do. I have three organisations that I would never not want to be in contact with: The Young Vic, Hospital Rooms and Create. They’re my top three I’ve ever worked with in my 21 years. To be able to work with Create, it gives us something to look forward to, it transforms our programme, it takes it to another level. I don’t worry anymore about the holidays, because I know we’re going to be doing amazing things. As an organisation it’s just so well run and managed. I always have trust in Create, I know that everybody’s well trained and very professional. It means that we can relax a little bit because we know that Create is going to take the lead, and it’s going to be really high quality. And we know that the young people are always going to engage with it.

Charlotte: It is so valuable, having professional artists who come in and share their skills with our young people. It makes them feel special. We have so many young people with aspirations of being creative or having careers in the creative industry. By meeting artists who are making a career out of it, and who really love it, they see it as something that they can accomplish themselves. The materials we get are really important too. That might sound like a small thing, but our budget is really small. Being able to offer young people quality materials, and a lot of them, so they can do more than one – if they want to make more than one pot in a day, they can, they can make four or five. It just shows them how valued they are.

Read two case studies from our creative:tandem project

Read an interview with Dr Richard Corrigall from Snowsfields

creative:tandem is supported by:

postcode community trust logo

John Horniman’s Children’s Trust
The Fitton Trust

a sculpture made by a young person living with mental health illnesses

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Case studies: two young people living with mental illness

artwork by young people living with mental illness
artwork by young people living with mental illness

CASE STUDIES: TWO YOUNG PEOPLE LIVING WITH MENTAL ILLNESS

creative:tandem is our multi-artform programme empowering children and young people who have a serious mental health illness.

For four years, we have been delivering projects at Snowsfields Adolescent Unit at Maudsley Hospital in South London. Our professional artists have been using creativity to help young patients develop their artwork and social skills, a creative means of increasing self-expression, self-esteem and confidence.

Here two occupational therapists tell us about the project’s impact on participants.

artwork by young people living with mental illness
An “agamograph” from the first day of the Easter workshops at Snowsfields, 2021

Case study 1

Told to us by Charlotte Ellis, Occupational Therapy Apprentice

“It allowed him to focus, and gave him an opportunity to build relationships.”

“During the Easter project with Create [in 2021, via Zoom], we had a new admission. We invited him and he came in. He was taking in some instruction, but not all of it. But he saw the materials and was like, ‘I’m just going to take this and this and this and this. And I’m going to draw and draw and draw.’

“We saw that he was absorbing more than we thought, because he was occasionally answering questions from the artist. That was day one, and he showed off his work and was very proud. He loved holding it up to the camera and showing the artist what he’d done. 

“Then on day two, [when we were] making the tote bags, he much more followed the brief, and stayed for longer. He was spraying the bags. And he was very creative again. The bag was too wet for him to touch because it was covered in paint, so we put it in the cupboard, and he’d forgotten the next day. Then we gave it back to him and the joy was wonderful. During the week, every art piece he did, he put in his bag, and then he walked around the ward with it, very proud of all the stuff he’d achieved.

artwork by young people living with mental illness
One of the tote bag stencils from day two of the Easter project at Snowsfields, 2021

“By the end of the week, he was sitting down, he was engaging with his peers who he’d been unable to form relationships with at the beginning, because he was so unwell. Having the shared experience had built a rapport with his peers – and drinking the cups of tea. He’d gone from being able to sit down for about 15-20 minutes to do that first drawing to joining in with sessions for the full two hours.

“He was saying at the end of the week how amazing it had all been and how he really loved making the bag in particular. That was his absolute favourite. He uses the word amazing a lot. ‘It was amazing. It’s really amazing. It’s just so wonderful.’ He was saying how he’d really enjoyed just sitting with others, and being creative and getting to know each other, but not having to talk and just being with each other.

“It really allowed him to focus, gave him some outlet, but also gave him an opportunity to build relationships with other young people. And he was really proud of what he’d accomplished during the week.”

Case study 2

Told to us by Dionne Monarch, Lead Occupational Therapist Inpatient CAMHS and Day Patient Co-ordinator

artwork by young people living with mental illness

“There was one girl, she was really struggling. As well as having a low mood, she also had ADHD, so she used to find it really hard to join in and stay focused. I don’t know if you’ve ever met anybody with ADHD, but it can be a real struggle to concentrate and stick with something. Often they’ll come and be like, ‘Oh, I can’t do this’, and leave.

“This girl took part in the first photography project we did with Create, and she was really good at it. I think Create’s photographer realised that she had a real skill. This was good for her self-esteem, but it also made her want to stick at it. It was really engaging her, and the project was different every day, which kept her interest.

“She said it really helped her to focus, to notice things and to slow down, which was a skill that was really hard for her with ADHD.”

“She got better and better at it. Mindfulness gets used a lot in mental health but she talked about photography in a very mindful way. She said it really helped her to focus, to notice things and to slow down, which was a skill that was really hard for her with ADHD.

“Because she was so good at it, and we wanted her to continue, we put in for some money from the Simon Walker fund through the Maudsley charity. The fund helps people with projects or with interests, to be able to use them in a kind of rehabilitation way. We managed to get her the money to get a camera of her own. And she was delighted. Her family didn’t have much money and she had little siblings who often took up all the time and attention. She always had to share everything with them. This was brilliant because it was something of her own, and she was delighted that she had something just for her.”

Read our interview with Dionne and Charlotte

Read an interview with Dr Richard Corrigall from Snowsfields

creative:tandem is supported by:

postcode community trust logo

John Horniman’s Children’s Trust
The Fitton Trust

artwork by young people living with mental illness

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Meet Georgina, a carer from Merton

meet georgina art links Merton

Meet Georgina, a carer from Merton

meet georgina art links Merton

Between November 2020 and March 2021, we delivered a series of creative projects run by our professional artists with older carers at Merton Dementia Hub as part of our art:links programme: photography with Alicia Clarke, music with Mike Poyser and radio drama with Jack Pryor.

These projects, delivered online via Create Live! enabled a group of older adult carers to express themselves through different artforms while developing new skills, reducing isolation and forming lasting friendships.

We spoke to Georgina (61) about the three projects, the impact they had on her life and the connections she forged with other carers in the process.  

Georgina talks about her experience attending our projects 

“I started caring for my mum about seven years ago. She was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s when she was 82. It was good we got that diagnosis because it meant that we could then move forward with what we as a family could do to help her.

“My two brothers live with her. My role is to manage all the doctors’ calls. I keep a file on my mum so she’s got records of all the medication and the problems she’s had. When we go to the hospital, we take the folder so everyone knows what’s been going on.”

Participating in Create projects

photography

Click through some photos from this project below:

“I’ve been part of several Create projects with other carers. The first one that I did was the photography one with Alicia. It was really good. She got us to take photographs and upload them so we were able to see what everyone had done and how they’d interpreted the topic for that week.

“One of the things I’ve learnt from this project is about photographing at a particular time of day. Dawn and sunset are really good times. You also have to think about what your intention is when taking a photograph. What is it that you actually want to focus on? I think photography is something you can always build on.”

Music

“The photography project was also the first time I met a lot of the other carers. It was a good introduction to everybody and I was able to see them again in the next workshop which is the one that Mike did, all about music. It was really good because we didn’t know what to expect and it was really fun.

art links Merton create live
Participants having fun during one of the music workshops

“We got to write lyrics for a quirky COVID song and we made noises with everyday objects. It was really interesting because you could be really inventive with sound. Things you wouldn’t necessarily think that you could make a sound with, you could!”

Listen to one of their songs, COVID CHAOS

Radio play

art links Merton create live
Participants in the drama workshop, with Georgina in the middle

“We’re now doing a radio play project with Jack. We’re recording a story about magic objects that has become a really long story with all these different objects, what they do and where they take us. I’ve really enjoyed it. You have to get used to hearing yourself say things and do things that you wouldn’t normally do, and also critiquing your own performance. I didn’t know what to expect but it’s a good way of doing something completely different.

“I’ve learnt I can have a go at things”

“Through these projects, I’ve learnt that I can have a go at things. I can try things out and I can make a fool of myself if I want to and that’s ok because other people don’t even notice when I do. Maybe I’ve also learnt that I’m not so bad at coming forward.

“I’ve also really enjoyed meeting everybody, getting to know other carers and being part of a group. We’re all different, we all come from different walks of life but one thing we all have got in common is that we’re all caring in some way.

“Creative projects like this add a bit of a fun element to life. I think we all need something different and fun in our lives, no matter what we’re doing, particularly when you’re a carer. It just adds another vantage point to life and I think it’s good to have that. It’s good to have lots of things going on to keep life in the balance. It’s quite refreshing to feel that you can offer something that isn’t the norm.”    

Supported by:

masonic charitable foundation logo
mercers logo
meet georgina art links Merton

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Meet Sarah, a carer from Glasgow

creative voices Scotland carers

Meet Sarah, a carer from Glasgow

creative voices Scotland carers

Between February and March 2021, we took our creative:voices programme for carers to Scotland for the first time, thanks to our partnership with First Sentier Investors.

The visual arts project, delivered online via Create Live! by our professional artist Rachel McGivern, brought together carers from Care for Carers Edinburgh and Glasgow East End Community Carers over several weeks. It enabled them to meet new people, explore new modes of self-expression and develop creative skills including drawing, print-making and weaving, all from the safety of their own homes. 

Sarah (33) cares for her two sons. She shared her experiences of taking part in this project and how it has enabled her to reconnect with herself.   

Sarah describes what the carers did during the project

“I care for my son. He’s five years old. He has been diagnosed with autism and also has reflux, which he has had since he was a baby. It’s 24-hour care. He’s had sleep issues so you don’t get enough sleep at night-time. He throws up quite a lot during the day, so there’s a lot of caring and cleaning up involved. It’s a very busy role, not only on the emotional side of things but physically as well.

“We also suspect that my younger son (4) may have ADHD. He’s very, very hyper and has sleep issues as well. It’s a lot of energy in the house. You have to withhold your self-expression just to carry on.

“I had to stop and say ‘I need to do something for myself’. This art workshop was the perfect opportunity. If the workshop wasn’t there I wouldn’t have stopped.”

“I feel really liberated”

creative voices Scotland carers

“Most of my artworks from the workshops are unfinished, but I feel really liberated. I used to be an arts student, a long, long time ago, but my health has not been the best, and my caring role kept me away. So it was really nice to come back to this, to reconnect.

“This was a really important workshop for me, to feel confident in myself, to find my identity again. As a carer you lose your identity, you feel as if all you’re doing is looking after somebody else, and that somebody else becomes your number one. This break of two hours away … it was really nice to find myself again.

“This was a really important workshop for me, to feel confident in myself, to find my identity again.”

Sarah

“The first day I didn’t realise the Edinburgh Carers Centre were going to be involved as well. It was really nice that we were able to cross the cities and meet new people. Everybody was coming from different backgrounds, and everybody was really friendly.

“I learnt that, with visual art, nothing is right and nothing is wrong. Anything is your interpretation. Everybody had different colours, different ideas to display. They were all different, they were all unique. That’s something really interesting in visual art: your perspective, and your creation. You learn all these different mediums to express that, so it wasn’t just sketching. It was also a bit of paint work, print work, weaving using recycled materials.”

Standing Taller

Sarah describes what it feels like to create something new

“It’s difficult to describe the feelings you get [from being creative]… You feel more confident in yourself. You see a different side of yourself: that you can do something. And that something gives you more confidence to stand a little bit taller.

creative voices Scotland carers

“Since taking part in the workshop, my husband has gone out and bought me a sketchbook. What I’ve learned from the project is that I will definitely carry on. If I get some more time to myself, I wouldn’t mind picking up my sketchbook and sketching up something really simple.

“I’ve already got a project for myself for the summer from the printmaking. I’m going to take some bags and T-shirts and print them up in something boyish so I can make something for my boys. The skills have definitely been handy, and I will definitely take them forward.”

Supported by:

First Sentier Investors logo

creative voices Scotland carers

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Let’s dance: three young carers talk about dancing over Zoom

inspired arts Bucks dance 2021

Let’s dance: three young carers talk about dancing over Zoom

inspired arts Bucks dance 2021

This February we teamed up with Carers Trust to run three dynamic dance projects with young carers in the South and South West of England during the half-term break.

Our professional dancers – Beth Coleman, Natalie Haslam, Amy Toner and Nikki Watson – led groups of young carers from Brighton & Hove, Bristol, and Buckinghamshire in three-day dance projects that gave them a chance to meet new people, express themselves and take an active break from their caring responsibilities.

We spoke to three of the young carers to find out about the challenges they face and get their feedback. All names have been changed to protect anonymity.

Meet Poppy

Poppy (11) cares for her brother, Jack.

Poppy talks about why it’s important to be nice to people

“I care for my brother Jack who’s autistic and I have to take care of him because sometimes it’s hard for my parents to do it on their own. I try to ignore it [thinking about my situation] as much as I can and try and play with my friends. I’m proud of myself and how I cope with it.

“I’d describe the workshop as one of the best experiences of my life. It was basically the first young carers thing I attended. I met a really nice person called Olivia as well. I got her phone number and when I got home, she added me to a group where I met 10 other friends.

“I liked getting to know everyone and making up dances with everyone. If I liked their dance style, I could memorise some of the ideas for another time. I have a private account on TikTok and I just love to get a random sound and be weird on there. You can try anything as long as you know that it’s not about you being good. It’s about you having fun and enjoying it and wanting to do it more.” 

inspired arts Bucks dance 2021

Meet Erin

Erin (9) cares for her older sister, Emma.

Erin talks about meeting people on Zoom

“The first lockdown for Emma was really hard and she got really frustrated doing her work. Sometimes she’s happy and sometimes she’s not happy so I have to leave her alone or I have to play with her if she asks me to play. I don’t get to choose what to do – Emma chooses.

“Having this project has really made me feel free. We’ve been doing dancing and moving and energetic kind of stuff. We created our own moves and then we put them in a different order. It’s been fun.

“I enjoyed being creative with others. It made me feel quite happy because I can meet people on Zoom. I think it’s important to do creative things because then you can show people who you are, what kind of person you are just through art.”

inspired arts Bucks dance 2021

Meet Bethany

Bethany (8) cares for her mother.

Bethany describes what happened to her mum

“We care for mum because she has a chest condition and her heart stopped. When she gets very ill, I have to call my sister or my brother or bring her things.

“The workshops made me feel weird (in a good way) and happy. We danced and played games. We made a Jacket Dance where we came up with a few moves of our own and did a solo performance.

“I do creative things by myself all the time but this is the only [creative] thing I’ve done this lockdown. I felt happy. I learned how to dance better than my sister. It was literally like somewhere without the coronavirus everywhere around me. It was a lot of fun.”

This project was part-funded by Carers Trust via a grant from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, as part of the Government’s £750 million Charity Package #CommunitiesCan #letstalkloneliness

inspired arts Bucks dance 2021

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Our work during lockdown: a year of change, challenge and learning

young carers action day 2020

Our work during lockdown: a year of change, challenge and learning

young carers action day 2020

One year since the UK’s first national lockdown, our CEO, Nicky Goulder, reflects on how we adapted our work during the pandemic to support our participants when they needed us most.

A year ago today, on Tuesday 24 March 2020, Create’s office – in an eerily silent Moorgate – was locked by the landlord. As I walked home across London Bridge, not knowing when I would be allowed to return, my head reeled: we had entered lockdown; every Create project had been removed from the diary; and our participants were facing months of unrelenting loneliness and hardship.

“What the last year has taught me above all is that our work has never been more important.”

Nicky goulder

None of us could have imagined then that, 12 months on, we would still be in lockdown, with all that means for liberty, isolation and wellbeing. It has been a year of change, a year of challenge and a year of learning. On a personal basis, I have come to find wonder in new ways: the joy of a bumble bee visiting the lavender plant on my tiny balcony; the inspiration of shows like Grayson’s Art Club that I would never previously have had time to watch; and the pleasure of sending a small gift, just because.

At Create, the last year has probably been the most demanding and rewarding since I started the charity 18 years ago. This time last year I had no idea that I would work around the clock for the next fortnight, thinking, consulting, designing, piloting and safeguarding a new way of working. What I knew was that our participants had never needed us more and we had to find a way to reach them. What I kept telling myself was: “You run a creative charity; there HAS to be a way.” And we found one.

A new way of working

Create Live! – our online delivery via Zoom – went live on Tuesday 7 April, just two weeks later. I can still remember as if it were yesterday, the amazement and excitement I felt – mixed with a large dose of trepidation – when a group of young carers from Ealing and Hounslow appeared on my computer screen for a three-day drama project and I realised: “This is actually happening.”

create live nurturing talent

Spending our days on Zoom (or equivalent) is now part of everyday life for so many of us. It’s almost impossible to remember a time when I didn’t “run” between back-to-back meetings and projects on Zoom. A year ago, I hadn’t even heard of Zoom. Now I can’t imagine life without it. Then, it seemed astonishing to be working with real people from my spare bedroom. Since then, we have run 885 workshops with participants from across England, Scotland and Wales, all but 19 via Create Live!. And the impact has been incredible.

increasing access

We have reached participants in their homes who have never before been able to access our work. We have enabled participants to celebrate their homes through the lens of a camera or the nib of a pen. We have brought participants together from different geographical locations. We have run two Showcase events, celebrating the incredible talent of disabled children and young carers.

“We have discovered that taking a creative approach to problem-solving can have wonderful, life-changing results.”

We have trained a group of our artists to deliver in a new way, helping them to enhance their own practice. We have upskilled partner organisation staff, enabling them to reach their participants. We have worked with so many dedicated funders, who have shown incredible flexibility and unwavering commitment to our work. We have attracted new funding. And we have discovered that taking a creative approach to problem-solving can have wonderful, life-changing results.

We have also found new ways of keeping our amazing team connected and inspired, via creative workshops, wellbeing training, a weekly lunch club, a fortnightly film club and celebrations for key events such as Create’s anniversary and Christmas. And we redesigned our annual Gala Dinner to a virtual event thanks to the kindness of our Patron Dame Evelyn Glennie and young carer Abi, the delivery to our guests of mini hampers, and the generosity of our “table buyers”. We raised over £50,000, vital funds to enable our new creative:vision programme.

Being crowned Charity Times Charity of the Year on 3 September was the icing on the cake, at a time when such recognition could not have meant more.

The road ahead

Today I presented to our Board of Trustees our new five-year strategy, an ambitious roadmap via which we aim to double the reach and impact of our work by 2026. At times, it’s hard to know what we’ll be doing in two weeks or two months’ time, so it can seem a daunting task to be thinking five years ahead.

What the last year has taught me above all, however, is that our work has never been more important. I feel privileged to lead an organisation that is run by such a dedicated team; whose projects are delivered by such talented professional artists; whose work is funded by committed, flexible organisations and individuals; and whose participants get me out of bed every morning.

“I’d describe the workshop as one of the best experiences of my life.”

participant

Seeing the wonder on the faces of older participants who “meet” friends for the first time in a year having braved the new technology of Zoom to join us for a music project, the relaxation of adult carers who take time for themselves to come to our visual art project, and the joy of young carers who create a new dance piece with us that they then share with their families has helped me manage my own lockdown experience. What more could one need than be told by a young person: “I’d describe the workshop as one of the best experiences of my life.”

I hope that a year on I am not writing: “Two years ago today …” What I do know, though, is that Create Live! is here to stay; that the future of Create will be a blended approach in-venue and via Zoom; and that the importance, power and impact of creativity on people’s lives has never been clearer.

Nicky Goulder, Founding CEO

creative voices artwork 2020

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SEN students create “fabulous” art about the environment

SEN students changing minds 2021

SEN students create “fabulous” art about the environment

SEN students changing minds 2021

Between January and March 2021, we delivered 60 workshops with children with special educational needs (SEN) in Harrow through our three-year changing:minds project, which is enabling children to explore environmental themes creatively.

The project, which started in 2019, uses art, dance, music and theatre to explore the environment with students at all five SEN schools/units in Harrow. Last year, the project examined underwater worlds. This year, the children learned about the earth’s rich diversity of natural environments and the animals that call them home. Next year, the project is set to wrap up with an exploration of the sky. 

“Beautiful art, fabulous art and fabulous storytelling!”

SEN students changing minds 2021

To celebrate the culmination of the project’s second year, our participants came together for an online showcase of their work on Thursday 11 March. This was attended by their families, Harrow councillors, school staff, and our funders, Patrons, Trustees and staff.

The artists led us through an incredible exhibition of the children’s creativity: a dance inspired by melting ice caps, a drama about an imaginary new world, sculptures of animals inspired by indigenous artwork, comics starring superheroes saving the world, and much more.

“It was truly amazing to see the scale of talent of the children involved, their imaginations and their engagement in the workshop.”

Nicholas McCarthy, concert pianist and Create Patron

The children’s creations were widely admired by the attendees, one guest enthusing: “Beautiful dancing, fabulous art and fabulous story telling!”

The showcase concluded with a speech by world-renowned concert pianist, Create Patron Nicholas McCarthy, who expressed his admiration for the children’s talent. He said: “It was truly amazing to see the scale of talent of the children involved, their imaginations and their engagement in the workshop. For me as a Patron of this charity [this project] confirmed to me the need for people to have creative outlets at all stages of life, especially when we collectively face the difficulties that we have all faced of late.”

You can read quotes from participants and staff, and see the artwork below. 

See the artwork

comics

The children at Alexandra School created dynamic comics featuring superheroes saving the world, led by our artist Chloe Cooper. 

“I want to keep drawing Super Spider Girl and maybe one day she’ll have her own movie.”

participant

Dance

Our professional dancer Nikki Watson worked with students at Kingsley High School to explore different natural phenomena through movement. 

“It has been a wonderful experience and the children enjoyed it greatly. They have been able to learn dance, share, take turns, explore different activities and take initiative.”

staff member

Drama

At Shaftesbury High School, students worked with our theatre artist Jack Pryor to explore issues related to the environment through drama and created their own play performed over Zoom. 

“Thank you for giving us this opportunity. The workshops were really fun, and we really achieved something!”

Participant

sculpture

Participants at West Lodge Primary School worked with our sculptor Sam Haynes to create vibrant sculptures of animals inspired by art made by the people who share their natural habitat.

“My favourite moment was making the elephant.”

participant

You can see this fantastic elephant – and all their other work – here:

visual art

Our artist Amy Leung worked with children at Woodlands School to explore different habitats using art – from jungles and deserts to rich underground worlds.

“Undoubtedly, the sessions offered to our pupils the opportunity to feel connected and maintain their social skills. The sessions were something to wait for during the weeks under lockdown. They were happy to attend and express themselves through creativity.”

staff member

You can see the artwork here:

We’d like to congratulate our participants for producing so much inspiring artwork; and to thank our funders who made it possible.

Supported by:

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With additional support in 2020/21 from:

CA Redfern Charitable Foundation, David Solomon’s Charitable Trust

SEN students changing minds 2021

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Young Carers Action Day 2021 – protecting young carers’ futures

young carers action day 2020

Young Carers Action Day 2021 – Protecting Young Carers’ Futures

young carers action day 2020

Thirteen-year-old Lisa looks after her mother Paula who has been chronically ill since before Lisa was born. Paula relies on Lisa’s support to carry out everyday tasks ranging from helping her walk to looking after the house.

Having cared for her mum her whole life, Lisa has skills that few children her age have. She especially takes pride in her culinary skills and enjoys cooking meals for her family.

Lisa talks about why she thinks opportunities to be creative are important for young carers

Lisa is just one of an estimated 800,000 young carers in the UK who help look after someone in their family, or a friend, who is ill, disabled, has a mental health condition or misuses drugs or alcohol.

Being a young carer is challenging work, and in overcoming these challenges many young carers acquire a range of skills that other children their age rarely possess. These skills are often overlooked in the wider world.

As one study reveals, young adult carers face greater struggles with finding employment compared to their peers. When they do successfully land a job, they earn £100 less per month on average. Moreover, according to a recent survey by Carers Trust, 56% of young carers say their education has suffered owing to the pandemic and 67% express worries for their future. 

Young Carers Action Day 2021

young carers action day 2020
One of the visual CVs created by a young carer

This year’s Young Carers Action Day (YCAD) took place on 16 March. The theme for the day was ‘Protecting Young Carers’ Futures’, and it focused on the skills young carers learn through their role and how they can help them later in life. The day was organised by Carers Trust.

In line with this theme, we teamed up with Carers Trust and Bromley Well Young Carers in February to design and run a three-day visual art project with 17 young/young adult carers. These included Lisa and our Youth Ambassador Abi (15). The workshops were led by our artist Jenny Leonard, who guided the young carers through activities to develop artwork in preparation for YCAD.

Guided by the theme, our workshops enabled these incredible young people to celebrate their interests, achievements and special skills by combining different styles of graphic art to build unique visual CVs. These were showcased at an event on YCAD itself attended by the young carers, their families, our funders and Patrons, and staff/Trustees from Create, Carers Trust and Bromley Well. 

“The young carers were able to reflect on the incredible skills that they have developed, and how these will be able to help them into the future.”

Create CEO Nicky Goulder

We have designed the Showcase to celebrate young carers’ skills. Sharing their artwork enables them to celebrate their achievements and build their confidence. As one young carer expressed after the project: “I am looking forward to sharing my work with my family because they will be proud of me.”

Abi reflected on the importance of creativity in her life: “Without creativity I wouldn’t be the same person I am today. Being creative makes me feel really accomplished, proud and happy. It also lets me dream.”

Reflecting on the project, our Chief Executive Nicky Goulder said: “I am truly inspired by the work created by these young/young adult carers. It is important to recognise the value of young carers’ skills, and the creative arts are such a powerful way of getting the message out in a captivating and engaging way. By taking part in this special project, they also connected with other young carers, helping to build support networks and reduce isolation; developed new skills; and grew in their sense of self-worth. Perhaps most importantly for this project, they were also able to reflect on the incredible skills that they have developed through being young carers and how these will be able to help them into the future.”   

Artwork showcase

See the impactful visual CVs created by the young carers below.

Here’s a collection of some of the outputs from other activities carried out during the workshop. 

Nicky Goulder appears on Times Radio to discuss importance of the arts

Nicky Goulder Founding CEO Create

Nicky Goulder appears on Times Radio to discuss importance of the arts

Nicky Goulder Founding CEO Create

Our CEO Nicky Goulder appeared on Mariella Frostrup’s Times Radio show on 18 February 2021.

She was part of a panel discussing the importance of the arts to our society and communities – both during the pandemic and beyond. 

The other members of the panel were:

  • Professor Julia Black from the London School of Economics, and a fellow of the British Academy, who is backing the SHAPE campaign to encourage more students to choose arts and social sciences subjects; and
  • James Graham OBE, a British playwright and screenwriter.

“Every single person of every age needs to have access to the creative arts,” Nicky said. “The creative arts are vital for connecting our communities, helping people to be confident, and helping people to express themselves.

“The arts are vital for people’s wellbeing, but also the World Economic Forum identified creativity as the third most important skill for business by 2020, so we’re talking about people who maybe don’t go into a creative career, but for any part of our life we deserve and need to be creative.”

Listen to the full discussion below. 

Read more about the Speak With My Voice exhibition, which Nicky discussed on the show. 

METRO’s Nicola Jones shares the impact of creative arts projects on LGBTQ+ young people

Nicola Jones from Metro charity

Nicola Jones from Metro Charity shares the impact of Creative Arts projects on LGBTQ+ young people

Nicola Jones from Metro charity

We teamed up with equality charity METRO to deliver a six-week zine-making project from January to March with young LGBTQ+ people aged 16 to 25. Following two successful in-venue projects, we are delivering this one virtually via Create Live!.

In these workshops, supported by Greater London Authority via Groundwork, the participants are working collaboratively under the guidance of our writer Linden McMahon to create a zine on the theme of ‘Pride and Protest’. This has given them space – across February’s LGBT+ History Month – to discuss the legacy of Pride and what it means to live as a queer person. It has also enabled them to connect, build skills, explore new ways to express themselves, and share their experiences through writing and visual media.

We spoke to Nicola Jones, METRO’s Youth Lead for Croydon and Southwark, to learn about how the pandemic has affected her work with LGBTQ+ young people and the therapeutic potential of creativity.

“I think people have the perception that all young people are fine with ‘LGBT stuff’ now. They’re all fluid, it’s all over Instagram and Tik Tok, but it absolutely depends on so many factors, like where you grew up, how your parents feel about it, the area you live in, do you appear visibly other, do you get harassed on the street, and so on.

Hear Nicola talk about how our workshops run in partnership with METRO are connecting LGBTQ+ young people during the pandemic

“The youth groups are amazing. We do a lot of sessions that are around exploring and affirming identity and representation to counter the lack of those things at school, in the media, and the wider world, so that young people don’t feel so alone and don’t internalise the idea that they’re not normal. I think young people who access our groups over a long period of time tend to be the most vulnerable ones.

“I am so grateful that Create makes these sessions possible. I could endlessly talk about how amazing it’s been.”

Nicola Jones, Metro Charity

“We do a lot of workshops with Create because creativity is a really great way to provide support. You can make a PowerPoint about mental health issues but young people get enough of that kind of education at school. It’s been so amazing to have external workshop providers come and give them experiences and perspectives that they wouldn’t have access to otherwise. I am so grateful that Create makes these sessions possible. I could endlessly talk about how amazing it’s been.

metro charity quote bubble

“We’re currently running a zine-making workshop series with Linden McMahon via Create Live!. It’s been very different going from such incredible engagement in real life to running workshops online. So many young people who were accessing our groups regularly are either completely fatigued with Zoom, as many of us are, or they don’t feel comfortable being on camera. So, we send them out a zine pack with magazines, nice paper and pens, and things like that so they have stuff to read at home, do collage, and submit something to the zine. We can’t overstate how important that is for a young person.

“The zine-making sessions have been so great because people can do photography or draw or write or work in any way they like to express themselves. It’s a way for them to be involved and engaged. It has a wider impact than the number of people in the actual session. Linden is also really amazing at creating a very supportive, safe, chilled, lovely vibe.

“Working on a creative thing in the same space as other people and sharing can be really powerful. There is another young person who is incredibly vulnerable, particularly during this pandemic. They created a zine during the week and they shared it with us. It was so incredible! I think having an outlet where some of that stuff can go is really important.”

METRO runs LGBTQ youth groups for under 25s in many London boroughs. Visit www.metrocharity.org.uk to find out more about their work. To find out more about METRO’s youth services visit metrocharity.org.uk/youth

Click here to read about our photography project with METRO led by Holly Revell.

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