BUILDING COMMUNITY THROUGH CREATIVITY
Community is one of the most powerful protective factors for wellbeing. Research by Office for National Statistics found that people with strong social connections report higher life satisfaction and lower levels of anxiety, while loneliness is linked to poorer mental and physical health outcomes.
For young people admitted to inpatient mental health services, building connections can be difficult. Long stays in hospital, interrupted education and periods of isolation can make it harder to form friendships and maintain confidence.
Create’s creative:tandem programme works with children and young people admitted to mental health units due to serious conditions including psychotic, depressive, anxiety and eating disorders, self-harm or suicidal thinking. It provides them with vital opportunities to create, connect and express themselves through the creative arts.
Creating together
In 2025/26, we delivered three creative arts projects at Bethlem Adolescent Unit (BAU). We spoke to Donna, Activity Coordinator at BAU, about the impact these have on young people.
“Some of these kids haven’t got confidence, they haven’t been in education and so they’ve not been socialising and [feel] isolated.”
Led by our professional artists, the workshops gave participants the opportunity to work with materials including clay, textiles, paint and collage. For Donna, having artists come into the unit provides something different:
“Create brings a new dynamic to the unit; it encourages young people to join together and it builds their confidence. It’s a good thing to have a professional coming from outside.”
GROWING CONFIDENCE
Many of the young people at BAU have experienced significant setbacks and challenges before arriving on the ward. Donna recalled one participant who took part in a visual arts project:
“[There was] a boy in the summer who had mania and was really poorly. He was using clay [in a Create workshop] and instead of being told ‘you can’t do that’, [Create’s artist] was saying ‘that’s fantastic. Let’s display this work.’ He thought it was marvellous.”
“It’s inclusion for young people who haven’t been included, for young people who have been told ‘your work is not good enough.’ “
An artist telling them that their project is brilliant – [this] builds their confidence.
Donna, activity coordinator at bau
By focusing on creativity rather than limitations, our projects help young people see themselves in a different light.
Building a community
Research consistently shows that shared activities help to strengthen social bonds. Creativity can be particularly powerful because it provides a common goal, helping conversations and connections develop naturally.
Donna saw this happen throughout the workshops:
“[The workshops] encourage the staff and young people to interact more positively. Most of the [participants] are quite individual and do their own thing. When Create are here, even though they’re doing different projects, the [participants] are all in the same room and chatting.
“People say “do you want some of my clay?” or “shall we do this together?” and soon they’re passing beads around and making a bracelet [together]. It’s good for everybody, including the staff, who are always firefighting and don’t get to do creative things. They [get] a different perspective on a child and they think “I can try getting some clay from the art room next time.”
For young people who may feel disconnected from education, friendships or everyday life, these moments of connection matter:
“[Creativity] is a great expression.“
It builds their self-esteem and helps them connect with other young people.
Donna, activity coordinator at bau
“They [feel] actual achievement when they see their work displayed. They [learn] that everything doesn’t have to be perfect. They’re smiling and enjoying it, [focused] on the here and now and not worrying about what’s going on.“
Why this work matters
At Create, we believe creativity is about more than self-expression. It is also about connection.
Projects like creative:tandem enable young people to work alongside one another, share ideas and experience a sense of belonging during what can be an incredibly difficult period in their lives.
By creating together, participants build confidence, strengthen relationships and become part of a community.
Thank you to London Freemasons’ Charity for funding this project.
