Locations: Chester le Street, Framwellgate Moor and Gilesgate.
Artstop Feedback
Over last 8 months – with funding Investing in Children (IiC) have facilitated and Art and Wellbeing Café. Supporting the most vulnerable young people with mental health difficulties and emotional distress (including people with learning disabilities and autism); post lockdown to reconnect with IIC.
Aligned to this IiC connected 15 young people off which 12 where care experienced with the Artstop initiative and IIC thought this could bring additional value to the Art and Wellbeing Café.
Below are serious of quotes from practitioners, carers and young people regarding then impact of Artstop initiative: –
“Wow this is amazing I am so proud of everyone who has taken part, I will share with the teams and I intend to go and have a look. Just want to give some feedback about the impact of this. One of our young people would never normally attend such events/groups like this she has autism and suffers from anxiety and she was literally shaking on the first night she went, but she was supported by her YPA and at the end of the night she came out with a massive smile on her face and she sang her heart out in the car on the way home and said she had really enjoyed it and she continued to attend each week” Team Manager Looked After Children’s Team- Durham County Council (DCC)
On my word – these are fantastic, they certainly would make me stop, read them and think. What an awesome achievement – please pass our gratitude and admiration on to all the young people and the artist (and you and everyone who has been involved in making this happen) – Truly inspiring Rachel Service Improvement Manager DCC
“The art work is absolutely amazing – Shauna’s is brilliant she has such a talent with art and needs to be recognised for this’ ’Leah Social Worker DCC.
“These are brilliant, thank you so much for sending them through. Please can you pass on my congratulations to the young people and your team and the artist on such a fantastic project and I will be going up to take a look at them on the bus stops. Councillor Amanda Hopgood Leader of the Council and Local Member for Framwellgate and Newton Hall.
Thanks for sending this, amazing artwork from Shauna and all the other young artists, very impressive! – Foster Carer.
“It was amazing to see something that I made out in public and gave me a chance to see my work out there dedicated to the LGBTQ+ Community” Young person, AJ
“It was a good experience to put art into bus stops and also to put my art into the world and made me feel happy about myself”, TJ Young Person
“I really enjoyed the art stops because I got to focus on one topic that I enjoy and we also got to talk to a professional artist who advised us. I got to make friends too and my sisters friend saw my art and I got to make more art which I enjoy” Hannah Young Person.
Next Steps
Due to the impact this project has had. Particularly the benefits it has bought to care experienced young people, aligned to quality life story work, confidence and self-esteem. There has been an escalation of interest in the Artstops approaches and benefits. It has bought to young people’s artists qualities and confidence to expand in this arena. Through expression , rights and better ways regarding connecting will the world around them and what they want say about it.
It has also provided IiC with the ability to establish and learn about how community arts and culture projects can be favourable to children and young people, particularly learning how such projects can promote their rights to participate in decisions on issues that are important to them. Aligned to IiC ethos of creating a stronger focus and understanding of the importance of Article 31 of the UNCRC in it’s future work. Article 31 sets out children’s right to rest, leisure and play, participating in cultural life and the arts, which is widely acknowledged as important to children’s health and wellbeing and was proven by the enjoyment and participation of the young people involved in this project. IiC became more self-assured in applying for further funding in the art’s arena to expand children and young people’s ability to change things for the better in County Durham through the Artsstop Initiative as join collaboration. With ambition to grown in national.
Project Manger
Investing in Children
March 2022
Hi Peter
Here are some words about Art Stops and RTProjects followed by some comments by people who took part.
As a mental health/arts charity, one of the many things we do to support the people we work with is to improve individual self confidence. Indeed to instil pride. We use art to do this. Whether that be through public exhibitions or individual achievement. The Art Stops project provided us with the perfect opportunity to achieve our goals. The excitement at the prospect of having their artwork on public display was tangible. The dedication and concentration that came out of this was huge. Our ‘artists’ put in so much effort to getting it ‘right’ as they knew that the artwork would be seen by many. The emotional benefits the pride was obvious and is echoed in the reviews attached.
Many thanks for this opportunity
Beano
“It has been a real privilege to be part of such an exciting project. My initial reaction to the brief was – there’s no way I could do that! But with the support and encouragement from RT and knowing it was a once in a lifetime opportunity I really went for it. Sure, it was a challenge – mentally and physically, but I couldn’t be more thrilled with the end result. I feel very proud of myself (a rarity when low self esteem has been my default mode) for being brave and going the extra mile to get the piece out there for all to see and it’s given me one heck of confidence boost. I still can’t believe it when I see it – wow I did that! What a turnaround.”
“I thought the project idea was great It made me think about what was important to me and how could I portray that to other people in something that was interesting and eye catching that made people think and brighten their day. I wanted my artwork to be brightly coloured and neat with a comment that made people smile with my comment “Have a bee-utiful day “.I absolutely love any pictures or items that have bees ? on them but I really appreciate how important they are and that was what I wanted to get out of my art work plants ? that they like and hives. It just takes a little bit of thought for each of us to do something that can make a big impact eg farmers starting to put back hedgerows for the insects and animals that in turn help their land .Putting flowers in your gardens that attract bees .
In just a small way it makes me feel good if I’ve made just a few people think about the bigger picture. Helping the environment helping each other being kinder. I might be going off track but these are the emotions that I feel .
I’m just great full to have the opportunity to do this it makes me feel proud thank you ?￢ﾀﾝ
“It was mint seeing my artwork on a bus stop, so random! It meant a lot that somebody else thought it was good. Its just mint that over a thousand people will see it! When I put it on my art page FB. I do like SM but I don’t do things for likes[es, people actually like it! It makes people smile, and that’s what I get the most out of it. That people take a second look. People were PM us saying they really really liked it. Then I did one for Sam, he asked me to cos he like it so much.”
hope this helps. Let me know if you need anything else.
Sunshine
Beano