by Arts Uplift
The Mindfully Creative Programme
Stay Calm and Connected and get Creative – from Home!
Are you anxious, fearful or feeling low about all the uncertainty at this time? Would you like to improve your mental health, build resilience and become more creative?
Use your imagination and your smartphone or camera to explore creative ways of seeing and experiencing what is happening around you and improve your mental health and resilience at the same time.
This booklet offers a selection of arts activities to be done mindfully to help improve your mental well-being, including a 7 day Re-frame Your Now Mindful Photography taster by Ruth Davey from Look Again and video links to music, visual arts and crafts activities for you to do at home.
The activities will help you:
- slow down your mind and stay calm
- deal with some of the fear and anxiety you may be feeling
- build resilience and become more adaptable
- create your personal photo story, music or artwork
- take positive action
All you need is your eyes, a smartphone or camera, simple art materials and an open mind.
This is a FREE resource for you to use thanks to funding from Warwickshire County Council for children, young people and adults. Click HERE for the pdf version.
Click HERE for the Hand-Sewing for Mindfulness resources
Contact jenny@artsuplift.co.uk 07946 585978
by Arts Uplift
Graphic of Gavin Young by Michell Flint
Thanks to funding from Warwickshire County Council we are able to offer the CEV group (Clinically Extremely Vulnerable) of people living through this global pandemic a FREE storytelling booklet that has six lessons in it from storyteller Gavin Young.
The following six stories have been placed here to be read at the end of each lesson in the INSIDE STORIES Storytelling Booklet. They can, of course, be read anytime you like, though each story builds on the theme in the lessons, enhancing what you get out of them. Enjoy!
Story 1
Story 2
Story 3
Story 4
Story 5
Click HERE for more storytelling resources
If you live in Warwickshire and are one of the clinically extremely vulnerable people please contact Jenny for the storytelling booklet jenny@artsuplift.co.uk 07946 585978
by Arts Uplift
A new project for Arts Uplift CIC using film-making with adults that are unemployed or economically inactive from across Warwickshire. The brilliant EGO Performance Company will be delivering it who are very experienced and are great fun to work with too! No experience of film-making is necessary. The aim is to support people’s well-being who are out of work and not in education or training to work together to create a new short film. The course aims to improve people’s confidence and skills so that they can be supported in to employment, education or training after the course finishes.
The POINT offers the highest quality tailored training program that supports unemployed people to support themselves. Investing in them and encouraging them to take responsibility for their own future and direction. Through performance skills and production arts we offer opportunities to build confidence and self esteem, helping individuals to recognise their strengths, abilities and talent, to aim higher, set goals, and move forward into further training, education or employment. The project allows individuals to choose a pathway in the arts or non-arts sectors, it gives experience of working together, in smaller teams and individually to achieve the goal of producing a short film.
As well as gaining new skills and exploring their personal qualities the project offers individual mentoring. The activities and tasks ensure individuals will:
• Identify and break the personal barriers to getting back ‘on track’
• aim higher, explore their potential and set goals.
• improve listening and speaking skills.
• improve work ethic, punctuality and professionalism.
• improve understanding of what employers want.
• improve team work skills.
• discover talent and strengths, as well as area’s that would benefit from improvement.
• rekindle hope, drive and ambition.
This project is funded by the European Social Fund and the Education and Skills Funding Agency, and supported by the Local Enterprise Partnership.
The first course starts on 8 January on Fridays from 2.30-4.30pm at Brunswick Healthy Living Centre, Leamington Spa (Currently online due to Covid-19). Travel costs can be covered for the participants.
Course 2 will start on Friday 26th February from 2.30pm-4.30pm on Zoom
Course 3 will start on Friday 23 April from 2.30pm to 4.30pm in person (Promotional video here)
To book and more information contact Jenny Davis Project Manager 07946 585978 jenny@artsuplift.co.uk
View leaflet here
Face to Face Course content is here
Online course content is here
Watch course one’s film HERE Tranquil Eyes a film for visually impaired and non visually impaired audiences. A film to help you relax and unwind.
Watch course two’s film HERE Hot Dog a short film about no surprise Hot dogs!
Watch course three’s film HERE Bants a short film about jokes!
by Arts Uplift
Thanks to funding from Arts Council England, Worcester City Council, Redditch Borough Council, Wyre Forest District Council, The Elmley Foundation, Severn Arts, Museums Worcestershire and Worcestershire County Council we were able to deliver 65 storytelling with museum objects and drama sessions to people living with dementia and their carers across Worcestershire for 10 months from January to October 2021. We delivered these sessions in care homes and older people’s groups online or when allowed in person with White Socks Theatre and Museums Worcestershire staff. We also worked with 9 Primary schools across Worcestershire at Keystage 2 to interview the older people and also create 9 new short films and drama pieces based on the memories collected. These films were shown at 3 live You Tube events. The children also had Dementia Friends training from the Alzheimer Society. We also worked with 2 drama students from Worcester University that were mentored through the process. Vamos Theatre also offered ‘Listening With Your Eyes’ training for all involved on 12th October at The Commandery, Worcester.
The full evaluation report is HERE
Contact Jenny Davis 07946 585978 jenny@artsuplift.co.uk for more information
Click the link to see the films produced
Upper Arley Primary School with Burcot Grange care home
St Anne’s Primary School with The Gables care home and Burcot Grange care home
St Barnabas School with Housman Court and Droitwich Meeting centre
Birchensale Middle School with Housman Court care home
Sedgeberrow First School with The Gables and Fieldhouse care home
Cherry Orchard group 1 with Latimer Court and Dorothy Terry House care homes
Cherry Orchard group 2 with Greenhill care home
Dodderhill RGS with The Wharf and Greenhill care homes
Winterfold with Holmwood care home
Children’s feedback phase One- Upper Arley, St Anne’s and St Barnabas
For past Suitcase Stories projects see our Past Projects page.
by Arts Uplift
A brilliant collection of stories and poems written by adults with mental health issues and recovering from alcohol and drug addiction and storyteller Gavin Young written through lockdown 2020 as part of the Inside Stories project on the theme ‘How are you doin?’
https://www.flipsnack.com/ArtsUplift/inside-stories-vkfwis8hp8.html
by Arts Uplift
The final Love Music Lock Down Sessions video is from Carol Sampson part 3 click here
Songs for older people including people living with dementia;
Moon River, Lord of the Dance, Wonderful World, Oh What a Beautiful Morning
