We need to mention partnering with St Crispins and being funded by MoreArts. We have a great logo to use and some blurb I’ve used in presentations etc is below:
We’re excited to announce the return of our creative mental health project for schools – Inside Out.
School closures over the last 12 months have affected most young people’s real-life socialisation, emotional development and for some, taken away their refuge from a troubled family life. For those whose exams were cancelled, and those who are still unsure what’s going to happen about their grades, it’s been a time of huge stress.
There’s no doubt that the pandemic, lockdowns and school closures have created anxiety for young people. Prolonged uncertainty makes thinking about the future, or feeling positive, difficult. The NSPCC say demand for counselling just for issues of loneliness has risen by 10% since March 2020. Youth services can’t meet the demand from young people looking for support.
What can we do in response? We have an opportunity now to create and rebuild a community that includes trusted adults and fosters a sense of connection with each other. We need to create safe spaces for young people to explore and process their feelings.
More Inside Out is an initiative that will fall under our Inside Out Project, to enable young people to express themselves through art without necessarily having to find the words. Art is widely recognised as a therapeutic process across a range of mental health needs as well as a means of building a sense of community.
Recently, there was a Good Childhood Report (produced by the Children’s Society) around young people’s fear of failure. Art activities, where you do not have to be great at it and can have fun, is a wonderful retort to fear of failure.
We are working in partnership with St Crispins school and will work with students who need a boost of self-confidence, have anxieties, fear of failure and struggle to express themselves.
More info you may need Mel….
I’m running this project alongside 2 local artists. Each student will attend 2 workshops – the first one is a getting to know you and having a go workshop and the second is where they create their own piece of artwork.
We have some whacky, fun ideas to share and try out.