19th October 2023
Celebrating young people in Cornwall
YOUNG people throughout the region have been collaborating with artists in a project to improve their mental health and well-being.
Arts Lab, a creative health-led programme for ten to 16-year-olds in the Duchy, delivered sessions in the youth sector from March to August this year, following on from a similar exercise between February and August 2022.
A follow-up report, now published, has highlighted some ‘significant’ achievements, says Arts Well and FEAST (part of Creative Kernow).
More than 1,700 children from mainstream schools; SEND schools; youth clubs; alternative provision and youth centres took part in 417 workshops and 30 community events (plus digital engagement of in excess of 15,000 other young people), taking in subjects such as diverse as bio-sonification of sound, construction skills, animation, foraging, dance and complex sequencing, interactive installations, pod-casting, ‘magical boxes” of health and happiness and many more, including producing a song created as an anthem for Cornwall Air Ambulance, from which all income streams and downloads were donated to the charity.
Delivered in partnership between Arts Well and FEAST, with funding from HeadStart Kernow and the Cornwall Council Wellbeing and Public Health Service, more than £150,000 has been invested to commission 115 local artists who helped deliver 63 projects in conjunction with 248 teachers and youth workers.
Captured on film, some of the 2022 Arts Labs can be seen at: https://feastcornwall.org/arts-lab/arts-lab-year-1-2022/ while a three-minute film also illustrates the brilliance of young people in Cornwall: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WV1FzKp7i0k
Using creativity to nurture emotional health, collaboration and openness to the world and each other, the organisers say that the response from young people has been overwhelmingly positive.
Many youngsters felt a sense of belonging, pride and connection through taking part. Said one: “The project makes me feel part of something… part of a vibrant community. I was able to share this moment before we leave for Secondary school and I will cherish this moment with my friends. The new mural we have created makes people happy and excited to come here to youth club. It made me feel proud of myself.”
Arts Lab matched the interests of young people’s groups with local professional artists to deliver the ground-breaking projects.
Said Olivia Beckwith, development director for Arts Well UK CIC: “There is a clear mental and emotional health need among young people in Cornwall for fun, connection and exploration, so Arts Lab was created in 2022 to deliver a bespoke well-being pilot programme to address this.
“Arts Labs have now been provided in various settings throughout the county over the last two years, from St Just to Callington, with 100 per cent of staff feeling that projects had a positive impact on the young people’s wellbeing. The findings of the 2023 impact report are now available, illustrating that Arts Lab has delivered a wide range of benefits.”
Izzy Bianchini, project manager for Arts Lab, added: “Arts Lab is a celebration of the young people we have in Cornwall. In Year One we focussed on the need for connection, expression and enhanced well-being through creative exploration, and building on its successes and challenges, the Arts Lab programme has continued to grow in Year Two, demonstrating the continued need for creative well-being projects for young people who are experiencing many forms of challenges that are affecting their mental and emotional well-being.
“Year Two has highlighted the power of the arts as a tool for all young people to regulate, articulate and co-operate, regardless of their identities and experiences.”
Arts Lab has now secured further funding from the Cornwall Council Wellbeing and Public Health Service until July 2025 and Rachel Wigglesworth, director of Public Health for Cornwall and Isles of Scilly, said that the project was a positive and creative way in which to improve mental well-being, reaching hundreds of young people across our communities.
“In partnership with the NHS, we are able to continue to fund this for a further two years,’ she said. “It has been a tough few years for children and young people who need as much support as possible to both protect and boost their emotional well-being. Creativity is an excellent way to achieve this.”
Picture credits: All photos provided by Arts Lab Year Two artists
For more information, please visit:
https://feastcornwall.org/arts-lab-year-2-2023/
www.arts-well.com
https://feastcornwall.org/
https://www.headstartkernow.org.uk/
https://www.creativekernow.org.uk/
https://www.cornwall.gov.uk/health-and-social-care/public-health/
