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A journey with Curious Minds
“Unless you have a creative education, you don’t have a complete education.”
Creative wellbeing is a theme that runs through many of our projects, with very good reason!
In this blog for World Mental Health Day 2024, Emma Bush (Director of Education and Leadership, and Wellbeing Lead at Curious Minds) shares some insight into the transformative power of creativity.
In recent years, our interactions with educators and leaders through programmes like Leading the Arts in Your School and the SLICE® Fellowship we have become all too aware that the mental health and wellbeing of young people in the UK has reached a critical point. This is backed up with some stark statistics:
1 in 6
children aged 5-16 are likely to experience a mental health issue
50%
In the last 3 years, the likelihood of people
facing mental health struggles has risen by
a staggering 50%.
At Curious Minds, we recognise the urgency of this issue. Our work continues to champion innovative solutions that enable children and young people to access the mental health support they need, through the unique lens of arts and culture.
Creative Wellbeing: From exploration to action
Curious Minds has taken bold steps to address the mental health crisis by leading pilot initiatives that explore the intersection between creative wellbeing and education.One shining example of this is the second year of our SLICE® program with United Learning Trust, in which the SLICE® Fellows spearheaded creative projects specifically aimed at boosting wellbeing. The work culminated in a 2023 Symposium, called 'The Power of the Arts', where both Fellows and pupils shared the profound emotional impact of these initiatives.
But our journey didn't stop there.
The Power of Collaboration: Projects that change lives
We also teamed up with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), which is at the forefront of creative health initiatives. Through their Integrated Creative Health Strategy and the #BeeWell program, we're exploring creative avenues to support young people's mental health and wellbeing.Through these partnerships, several exciting projects have emerged, showing the transformative power of creativity:
Young People's Social Prescribing Pilot
This innovative program harnesses the power of arts and culture to improve the mental health of Sixth Form students. Here’s what some of the young people had to say:
- "This workshop helps me wrestle with my emotions through poetry and acts like a form of therapy."
- "I enjoyed being creative."
- "The pottery workshop I attended was fun and relaxing. I learned new techniques and had an experience I wouldn’t usually get."
Young Health Champions - Creative Health Module
As part of the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) Young Health Champions qualification, we developed a Creative Health module, enabling young people from five GMCA boroughs to commission £100,000 of activities responding to the mental health needs of their peers. These young people became creators of change, directly impacting their communities with meaningful creative projects.
Artsmark Award in Schools
Funded by Arts Council England, we integrated creative health activities in seven Greater Manchester schools. In the first year, students undertook the RSPH Creative Health Module. The young people then used their school and area's #BeeWell survey data to commission artistic projects that address the mental health challenges they'd identified. This initiative proves that young people can be both active participants and leaders in the creative health movement.
Harnessing the Power of Poetry for Wellbeing
Our latest pilot project brings five poets and five teachers together to co-create a groundbreaking 10-week program.Using poetry as a tool for emotional expression, this initiative will support mental health in two classrooms at each school. The project is funded by the Steph Lampl Foundation, in memory of Steph Lampl who tragically passed away at 21, and has been designed to provide students with a safe space to explore their emotions through the joy of poetry.
In collaboration with Edge Hill and Salford Universities, it builds on the success of their Arts for the Blues model, using poetry to foster both pleasure and wellbeing in creative expression.
Addressing the Challenges: Why this work matters now
The obstacles in front of us are significant. Schools and youth organisations are grappling with the consequences of inadequate mental health support, compounded by funding limitations. However, the need for mental health provisions, coupled with creative outlets for young people, has never been more urgent.There is light on the horizon. The current Government recognises the important role that expressive arts, culture and creativity should play in education, as well as the pressing need for mental health services.
Prime Minister, Keir Starmer has pledged to address this crisis head-on:
“No one should have to wait years for mental health support. My Labour government will give people the support they need by recruiting thousands of mental health staff and putting support into schools and communities across the country."
At Curious Minds, we believe in the transformative power of arts and culture. We advocate for the restoration of creative learning opportunities in schools, ensuring that all children and young people have the access to the enriching experiences that is their entitlement.
We are committed to championing creative solutions to pressing social issues, proving the efficacy of its use to support positive mental health and wellbeing and cultivating environments in which all individuals can flourish.
We are committed to championing creative solutions to pressing social issues, proving the efficacy of its use to support positive mental health and wellbeing and cultivating environments in which all individuals can flourish.
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