Young Carers in Northern Ireland screen the films they created on our inspired:arts YCAD filmmaking project.
During February 2023, our professional artist Linda Mason led filmmaking workshops with young carers from Belfast at Create’s very first project in Northern Ireland. inspired:artsNorthern Ireland was part of our Young Carers Action Day (YCAD) programme, which culminated in an online Showcase on Wednesday 15 March.
We spoke to young carer Jacob (12), who shared his experience.
“As a young carer, my life is a bit different to other young people my age. [My peers] aren’t caring for someone but I spend my time helping others. It can limit the time I have to do other things, like homework. But it can also be a positive thing. It enables me to help people.
“WE WERE ABLE TO EXPRESS OUR IDEAS OPENLY.”
JACOB, young carer
“This week I’ve taken part in a filmmaking project. I’ve made two films; a silent movie called “James Blonde”, and we also made a movie about being a young carer and what it’s all about. It showed how Young Carers helps us to be ourselves. I really enjoyed how we were able to make what we wanted. We didn’t have a real set boundary. If you got told that you had to do something like a spy movie, you’d have to do a spy movie, but we didn’t. We just got to do what we wanted. I learnt about angles and how much goes into each shot, and how to plan out each scene. I also learnt how the person behind the camera interacts with actors. The project also improves teamwork skills and being able to express our ideas openly.
“this project felt different. it was immersive!”
JACOB, young carer
“Doing something creative felt enjoyable. I get the chance to be creative at school, in drama or art class, but this felt different. It felt more immersive. I think it’s important to be creative because it helps your brain stay awake.
“I think in the future I’d like to go on to do creative work, but something more arty; and I like photography as well.”
Inside Change is our creative project that upskills prisoners about personal finances through radio drama.
In December 2022, a group of prisoners worked with our professional drama and recording artists James Baldwin and Tony Russell to write, perform and record a radio play themed around finance. This enabled them to develop their understanding of topics such as budgeting, debit cards, APR and money choices, helping them transition back into the community on release with new skills and improved self-esteem.
We spoke to Harrison about his experiences on the project.
“My name is Harrison, I’m 32 and I’m an inmate. I’ve got a 15-year sentence, with five-and-a-half years left, so I’ll be released in June 2028.
“This week we’ve been doing a money management course called Inside Change in which we made a radio play. I played a character called Dean and I really enjoyed it.
“It was good to work in a group and as a team. I’ve never done anything like this before, but a few of the lads on the wing had done [the project] the week before and told us it was a decent course, so I jumped on it.
“At first I wondered, ‘what have I signed up to?’ It involved a lot of speaking in front of an audience, but as I got into the project I really enjoyed it and I’m glad I did it. I’ve learnt a few things about banking, and I’ve also had experience in public speaking. I think that’s important because in the future, it will help with speaking in front of people in a meeting, so it’s really helped.
“I’VE COME AWAY WITH KNOWLEDGE THAT WILL HELP ME IN THE FUTURE”
“I really enjoyed working with the artists, James and Tony. They guided us and worked really well with us. It was good working in a group with the other lads too, we had a good laugh.
“This project has definitely been one of the more productive things I’ve done since I’ve been in jail. Some of the courses you go on are pointless, but I feel like I’ve come away from this with actual knowledge that will help me in the future. The business pitching exercise was good practice for anything I want to do in the future.
“The project has taught me that I should believe in myself and put myself out there more.”
This project was funded by Santander UK Foundation Limited.
MEET CANDIDA, AN OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST AT AQUARIUS WARD
On 14 November 2022, Candida Rosier delivered an insightful presentation to Create’s professional artists and staff, sharing her knowledge and experience of working with young patients in mental health wards.
Candida has been an occupational therapist for more than 40 years. She has spent 15 of them working on Aquarius Ward, an inpatient service for young people experiencing a mental health crisis in South West London. Create has been delivering creative arts projects with Aquarius Ward patients since 2021.
We spoke to Candida about why she thinks running creative arts projects with young patients is important. Read the interview or watch the video below.
“I’ve come here today to help [Create] artists feel confident running workshops on a ward like mine because it can be quite a challenge and it can be quite scary.
“I think everybody is a bit taken aback when they go into a mental health ward. If you work there, it’s complete second nature and we can’t really see what anyone’s scared about, but people are doing surprising things and saying surprising things and there’s quite a lot of shouting some days. If you’re not used to that, it is quite scary as you don’t really know what’s going on.
“So, I wanted [the Create team] to feel like they had the skills and were equipped to come and run workshops. The more knowledge you’ve got, the more it helps your confidence.”
“CREATIVITY IS CRUCIAL TO THE YOUNG PEOPLE ON THE WARD.”
“Quite a lot of young people on our ward can be tense and very unfree about themselves, so by the time the end of the week comes and they’ve been doing the same thing every day, and they’ve got to know the artist, that allows them to let themselves go a little bit.
“Creativity is crucial to the young people on the ward. It’s really important that they realise they can be creative, that they feel confident enough in trying things out, and that they relearn how to have fun. They can do that individually, and they can do it cooperatively with each other, and that helps interaction. It helps so many of their skills, which they can then transfer into other areas of their life.
“You’re not going to get a kid to do anything enormously complicated very confidently in five afternoon workshops, but sometimes you can sow a seed of that idea and they can discover that actually, they do like this and they can take a photo.
“We’ve seen some amazing results of kids whose confidence has grown. A recent music project we had was amazing. We had a young person who was a real challenge, but she was able to sing and record a song to the music we composed and it was wonderful to hear. It makes you think that even though it was difficult, there was an amazing end result. If you ask the majority of kids on Aquarius Ward what their good qualities and skills are when they come in, they always say nothing. So, sowing that seed is really great.
“working with create has been like a breath of fresh air.”
“My experience of working with Create has been entirely positive. It’s been amazing to have this person coming in with lots of skills. As an occupational therapist, it’s quite difficult to find nice quality equipment and nice materials to use, but [Create] come in and it’s all ready-made. They’ve got all the skills and the interest and it’s much easier for them to motivate the kids because they’re so good at doing what they’re doing. So, it’s been amazing, it’s just like a breath of fresh air.”
Meet Elise: “I’ve learnt a lot about recyclable materials”
environment:matters is our project providing SEND children with access to high-quality, interactive, collaborative creative arts workshops exploring the theme of “the environment”.
During November and December 2022, SEND participants in Manchester took part in our eight-day sculpture project with Create professional visual artist, Renata Minoldo. During the project, they created sculptures made from recyclable materials and decorated them with natural dyes sourced from flowers.
We spoke to Elise (15) about her experience on the project.
“My name is Elise and I’m 15 years old. We have been doing this [Create] art project for the past two weeks. We have created sculptures out of plastic water bottles, and we’ve put bird seed into it which has turned it into a bird feeder. We also crushed up flowers using hammers and other tools so we could use it as paint. It went onto the fabric which made [the fabric] look more fun.
environment:matters artwork at the project exhibition
“I thought the theme of the environment was really nice and I’m glad we did it because the environment is very important. I’ve learnt a lot about recyclable materials, and I’ve learnt there’s different types of sculpture and you can use different materials to make them. I’ve enjoyed making the sculptures. In art class we usually just do drawing so this was very different and very cool. It made me feel very happy and very good that I got to take part in this [project], it’s very fun.
“In art class we usually just do drawing so this was very different and very cool.”
Elise, environment:matters participant
“Working with Renata has been really nice. She’s a very nice person and I enjoyed working with her. Before the project, we did some research and some drawing, sketches and designs based on work from Renata and other artists.
“Working with and making artwork with the group was very fun. We all got along and had fun while doing it. I’m looking forward to our exhibition.”
This project was supported by Society of the Holy Child Jesus CIO.
creative:voices is Create’s multi-artform programme that enables adult carers to take a creative break from their caring responsibilities, build trusting relationships with their peers and develop communication skills, new interests and confidence.
During September and October 2022, carers from Islington took part in six, weekly visual art workshops with our professional ceramic artist Liz Jackson.
Adult carer Renee (57) told us about her experiences.
“I have been caring for my mother for 15 years. Taking on caring responsibilities was hard because I wasn’t expecting it. I’d gone through a divorce and I’d just come home. Something happened to mum and she asked me to stay. I was self-employed but that job disappeared because I couldn’t travel up and down the country anymore.
“Mum’s doing really well, and I got her through COVID. I got COVID and she didn’t. I was so sick I thought I was going to die, so afterwards I thought: ‘I need to change the way I live.’ Now I live a short distance away [from mum] and my brothers do more to help, but I’m still the primary carer. It’s not easy.
Telling stories through art
“I have discovered that I love drawing. I now carry a little notebook with me.”
renee, adult carer
“This Create project was an opportunity to learn some new crafts. We did a range: drawing, painting, weaving and clay work. I had a lovely time. I have discovered that I love drawing, and I now carry a little notebook with me.
“I made a little feathery blue and white dreamcatcher which is now sitting in my bedroom. It’s so pretty, but it’s also a meaningful ornament. I think I need my artistry to have some sort of meaning or purpose and a dreamcatcher is a story. How did you make it? Who were you with? The story lives, in a way. I don’t have children. I think the need to create something that can outlast you is something fundamental to human nature. I like creating things from scratch.
learning to play again
“I loved the project. It’s nice meeting other carers, chatting to people and just having a little bit of time for yourself. I also loved having a chance to explore and play and do things I haven’t done since I was a kid. I was told by a teacher I couldn’t draw, so I always thought I couldn’t. I’ve certainly said to that teacher, “you were wrong! You shouldn’t be telling children that they can’t do stuff!” Why should I be good at something the first time I try it?
“Working with everyone was really good. It was a nice harmonious group. I enjoy having people to play with. It’s that simple. Playing is fun and you often don’t do it. Life can be so serious and the challenges of doing what I do and holding a job, it’s just so hard. Having somewhere where you can come and play with other people who want to play and who are having similar challenges to you is really nice.
“Following these workshops, I now meet with two people I met at [the Create project] once a month. We eat and have a cup of tea and we bring our crafts out. It doesn’t matter what it is, we’ll just bring what we like, or nothing. It’s like a knit and natter class but it’s for arts and crafters.
“We’re all in isolated little pockets”
“Working with Liz was great too. She’s absolutely lovely. The thing that I really liked about her is that she let me be the creator I wanted to be. When we did the weaving, people were using the string and the wool, and I wanted to use ribbon. She didn’t bat an eyelid. When people were making small clay pots and I made a big one, she didn’t bat an eyelid. She believes in the right of the artist to create their own work, and that’s very valuable.
“Sometimes you’re pushed in very rigid ways and you can learn a craft but you don’t own what you’ve learnt. By letting me play and create the way I wanted to, I didn’t just own the end result, I owned the process.
“Projects like this help carers with our mental health. They give us somewhere to go. There’s a lot of fear. You don’t really know what we’re suffering because we’re all in houses by ourselves. We’re all in isolated little pockets, so unless we come together, we don’t know what’s happening for other people.
This project is funded by The Smiles Fund, awarding funds from Walkers and Comic Relief.
creative:me is Create’s programme in partnership with Anthropologie. In November and December 2022, we ran projects inspired by Anthropologie’s Christmas theme of “sparkling joy”.
As part of creative:me, adult carers from Islington took part in six, weekly visual art workshops with our professional artist Rachel McGivern. The project aimed to ignite adult carers’ imaginations, offer them an escape from everyday life and a break from their responsibilities, and help them connect with others.
Adult carer Yvette told us about her experiences.
“I moved back to London for my elderly mum about eight years ago. She is 82 and although she hasn’t been diagnosed with dementia, she’s very forgetful and she just couldn’t look after herself. Particularly since the pandemic she’s taken quite a downturn in her capabilities and her confidence levels.
“She relies on me for quite a lot. She’s stopped driving, so I do all the driving. I do the cooking and the cleaning and I look after her. Before, I used to be able to go away for a night and she’d be able to heat herself up some soup, but I think that’s beyond her now. She becomes more dependent on me as we go along.
“My mum’s quite needy and if I wasn’t strict with my boundaries, she would take all of my time and energy. Making time for myself has been the biggest challenge: setting my boundaries and maintaining them. It’s one thing to set them, but to maintain them constantly is the daily challenge.
“Taking on caring responsibilities has changed my lifestyle. I work from home, which I actually really enjoy. However, I’m an introvert. I like one-on-one [interaction] with my friends and I used to go out a lot more to meet with friends and do more social things. I only do that once every couple of weeks at the most for an afternoon or an evening now. I’m much more housebound. It’s changed my life massively.
“It’s really nice to have a bit of the week that’s just mine. [The project] is a really nice environment, it’s a little outing every week I look forward to. “We’ve been doing lino printing, which has been brilliant. I’ve really enjoyed it. We’ve been printing onto fabric and painting and making lavender eye bags out of some of that fabric. I’ve learnt that it’s a step by step thing and it’s really effective. I’ve done it before but it was so many moons ago.
“When you’re at school, you’re in the habit of doing weird and interesting things in your art class but when you’re older you forget to do new things. It’s good for the brain health. I like meeting people. I really like the facilitators, I think they’re all really lovely. They’re gentle and focused, and they’re really good at confidence building. I think the group format works really well too.
I’ve worked with Create before and I’ve got a little portfolio of stuff I’ve done. It gives me a sense of wellbeing and inspires me.”
Yvette, adult carer
“I get creatively stimulated”
“I am really pleased with the work I did on lino, I get a really strong sense of satisfaction. I’ve worked with Create before and I’ve got a little portfolio of stuff I’ve done and it’s really nice to look back over it. It gives me a sense of wellbeing and it inspires me. I get creatively stimulated, I find that I go home and I’m ticking over in a way that I wasn’t ticking over before, so it will just fire up ideas. I’ll go home with my weird print and then I’ll want to make it into Christmas cards or I’ll want to make gift tags out of it or something. This year was the first year I’ve made Christmas cards in about six years and I know that it’s partly to do with feeling inspired by Create.
“Projects like this help because they allow me to have that time that’s just about me. I come back refreshed and ready to go again. It’s a bit of a recharge, a reset. Just that little moment out of each week gives me time where I’m not thinking about mum’s food or the next meal or whether she’s got clean pyjamas. I’m not thinking about any of her needs. I’m just thinking about running stitch.”
creative:me Islington was supported by Anthropologie. You can learn more about our partnership here.
creative:voices is Create’s multi-artform programme that enables adult carers to take a creative break from their caring responsibilities, build trusting relationships with their peers and develop communication skills, new interests and confidence.
During September and October 2022, carers from Harrow took part in six, weekly ceramics workshops with our professional artist Amy Leung.
Adult carer Cindy (61) told us about her experiences.
Adult carer Cindy and Create artist Amy Leung working with clay on our creative:voices Harrow ceramics project.
“My two younger children, a 20-year-old and a 15-year-old, are both on the autistic spectrum. My 15-year-old has severe learning development and my older child is autistic but he’s high functioning and savant. Both of them have poor social skills and find it very difficult, they don’t have friends because they’re different.
“My 20-year-old also has Type 1 diabetes and I micro-manage his condition for him. I had to give up work as a school nurse because my son’s school couldn’t cope with it. I don’t get much sleep. I’m up in the middle of the night checking his diabetes because he injects about six or seven times a day. I have to weigh all of his food and calculate his insulin, so it’s pretty exhausting but it’s what I have to do and they’re my kids. I love them and I enjoy doing it, even if I’m tired.
“Projects like this help carers to meet one another because we are isolated in what we do.”
cindy, adult carer
making creativity accessible
“Taking on caring responsibilities has changed my life immensely. We don’t have much money. I’ve gone from a good wage to a carer’s allowance. It’s very hard.
“Projects like this help [carers] to meet one another because we are isolated in what we do. We’re at home a lot of the time, and because we have very little money, some of us can’t go out and socialise. It costs a lot of money to take care of children who have disabilities. Therefore, projects like this one are perfect. If I’d had to pay for it I’d really have thought twice. When I found out the project was free, I was amazed.
“The project was ceramics. We used self-hardening clay, which is brilliant because you can see the results immediately and you get a real sense of achievement. I didn’t have much experience in ceramics before. I did a little bit with my kids when I was younger, but I’ve enjoyed this more because I’m doing it for myself.
emptying our stress buckets
“I’ve enjoyed the whole experience, especially being with other people and doing a project that doesn’t mean we’re talking about our loved ones that we care for all of the time, because that doesn’t define us as people. It’s been good just talking utter rubbish. We talk about art in general, as well.
“We’ve just come into Diwali so we’ve been talking about the celebration and enjoying each other’s differences. We made diva candleholders, and the Hindu women’s painting designs on theirs were beautiful.
“Everyone got on really well and we were all encouraging each other. When you’re a carer you don’t feel you get that recognition, but here we’re all patting each other on the back. The workshop leaders have been great, very patient, very encouraging, making us feel like we’re fantastic at what we’re doing, even though we doubt ourselves. As each week has gone on, we’ve all progressed and got more confidence. You’re so engrossed in what you’re making, you tend not to dwell on the negative aspects of your life as a carer. You’re having fun, you’re in a different place and I think that’s the main objective. The project has taught me that I need to do something at home when I get time so I’m not obsessing about things that are going on in my life, with my kids, and myself and my limitations. Rather, I can do stuff if I just put my mind to it. I think it’s very important to be creative because we are such stress buckets, and I think we just need to empty our mind sometimes. We all have that potential to be creative, everybody does, no matter what it is that you’re creating.”
This project is funded by The Smiles Fund, awarding funds from Walkers and Comic Relief.
In October 2022, young carers from Crossroads Together in Cheshire took part in three days of drama workshops with Create’s professional artist Ben Mellor. The project enabled the young carers to take a break from their caring responsibilities, have fun, learn new skills, build relationships and express themselves.
Here you can read – and watch – what one of these young carers, Oliver (14), thought about the project, and Create’s work in general.
Create participants in inspired:arts drama workshop
“I care for my little siblings and a bit for my older sibling. My mum is a very busy person. She’s a single mum. I’m usually there to help watch the kids and make sure they’re okay.
“I suppose I was about seven when I started helping out with my older brother. He has autism, and I usually speak for him in public. If he’s in an uncomfortable situation I’d help him get out of it, things like that. I guess it got more [involved] when I turned about 10. My mum had my little sister, who’s now four.
“When I’m at home doing things for my family, it builds up, you wanting to do something. And when I come to Create [projects], I get to put all my energy into it and enjoy myself.
“It just feels nice to do something creative. I get to come here for three days and just enjoy myself, create something with other people.
“It just feels nice to do something creative.”
Oliver, young carer
the project
“We’ve been doing a drama workshop, working on acting and doing a little bit of musical stuff as well. It’s been really fun so far.
“I definitely enjoyed the creative writing, that was fun. It felt so fluid to keep writing. I liked the part where Ben [Create artist] pulled out different musical machines to experiment with. It was fun to bond with everyone and make some stuff together.
“I’ve learned to work with other people a lot better. When I first came to the projects, I just wanted to do my own thing, I just wanted to be like “everyone do this’; I want to do this”. But I’ve learnt to listen to people a lot more and understand what they want.
Oliver playing the guitar during a Create workshop
“I came to a different music project and it had money tied into it [click to read about change:matters]. I thought: ‘I’m just going to come for the music, the money doesn’t even matter.’ But after actually coming to the project, I learned stuff about money that I didn’t already know, and I’ve started to apply some of that. I’ve built my own savings account. After I think it was the first or second day, I went home and I was like: ‘Mum, I need to open a savings account!’
“After each project I felt like I’d done something good. I felt like I’d learnt things and really enjoyed doing all of them. I felt like young carers were missing something in the summer holidays before it. Now whenever there is a summer holiday I look forward to going to another Create [project].
“Projects like these give young carers time to be themselves, to come and enjoy themselves and be away from what they do at home.”
These projects were funded by The Chartered Accountants’ Livery Charity, The Prince of Wales’s Charitable Fund and The Zochonis Charitable Trust.
Inside Change is our project that enables prisoners to explore financial literacy through radio drama.
In September 2022, a group of prisoners worked with our professional drama and recording artists James and Tony to write, perform and record a radio play. Centred on personal finance issues, this enabled them to develop their financial capability in areas such as budgeting, debit, APR and money choices. The project has been designed to support a smoother transition back into the community on release, with new literacy, finance and social skills, and improved self-esteem.
We spoke to Matt (23) about his experiences on the project.
“I’ve done nothing like this before at all. We’ve learnt lots of things about money management, such as mortgages. We’ve learnt how to handle debt, build credit and move forward in the future with money.
“I signed up because I thought it would be interesting to try something different, like with the radio stuff, and learn something new. It’s been a good laugh. I feel comfortable, I feel like I’ve learnt a lot of things, met some good people.
“It’s taught me how to build credit and certain mortgage options you can take out, and basically helping me move forward with future decisions because I’m still quite young. I can put forward what I’ve learnt to other people who have the same worries as I did before starting the project.
“It was really good working with James. He’s good energy, very positive and he listened to everyone who speaks to him. It was good working with the group. I’ll speak to them more often now than I did originally.
“It’s just been fun to be honest with you. It’s been really, really good, I’ve enjoyed it. I’ve also learnt that I’m terrible at doing a Philip Schofield accent!
“Doing something creative is important because it takes you out of prison and makes you feel like you’re not in prison for the time you’re here.”
Inside Change at this prison was funded by The Boris Karloff Charitable Foundation and Santander UK Foundation Limited.
For six weeks in September and October 2022, members of Age UK Salford took part in music workshops each Wednesday with Create musician Holly Marland.
Tom (80) told us about his experiences on the project.
“I’ve had dementia for about 10 years. I don’t think it’s got worse but it may have done. As a doctor I had to stop working. I get a lot of support from my wife and I’ve got a daughter who also helps.
“Initially it worried me a lot, and I felt diminished by it. But with all the things like my family and coming here [to Age UK Salford], that’s lifted me up quite a bit. The challenges are trying to remain independent and not leaning too much on your family, be that your wife or your children; and trying to keep your morale up – by going out, by reading and realising that, particularly in this area, there are a lot of lovely people who can help you in this journey, which can be incredibly lonely unless you’ve got support.
a morale boost
“I’ve been coming every Wednesday for the past six weeks. I have learnt a lot. It has also lifted up my morale. Because the teams are so warm and friendly and skilful at talking to people, it has uplifted me psychologically. I’ve learnt how much I enjoy music. It cheers me up and inspires me.
“Doing something creative always feels good because it builds your confidence. When your memory is not as good as it was, that’s absolutely essential.”
tom, create participant
“It’s a very good experience working with the group because it stops you feeling lonely, with a group of people who are probably going down the same road as you, and we all help each other. It’s a very friendly small society.
“Doing something creative always feels good because it builds your confidence. I certainly felt that helps me. When your memory is not as good as it was, that’s absolutely essential.
“I need this support”
“I’ve learnt that I need this support. I find [it] very inspiring, and overall it has taught me how important it is, particularly with dementia, to be talking to and mixing with other people. In many respects we’re all very similar, and we’re all trying to overcome the effects of dementia, which can lower your morale quite a lot.
“I think I’ve always been a creative person. I have sung in choirs as a young man, I’ve probably always been quite good at painting and things like that. But all of this helps me keep happy.
“Projects like this help people living with dementia tremendously in cheering them up because, as we know, dementia is quite depressing, particularly when you’ve had a very active life. I have been very active as a doctor and a surgeon. So it has been good for my morale.”
This project was funded by an anonymous benefactor.
