Aviva Community Fund provided £288 of match funding
Supporting young people through creativity
Johnstone, Scotland, United Kingdom
Aim
To expand our youth arts work into Johnstone and linwood to support young people's mental health through creativity and free art workshops
Create Paisley (Scottish Charity Number SC043437) is a youth arts charity working with young people in Renfrewshire to support good mental health through creativity. We provide support to young people in our communities experiencing the most challenging circumstances: young people who are socially isolated or side-lined, who are living in disadvantage and whose voices are often ignored by those around them. We work alongside young people to help them recognise and build on their strengths and potential. Through a mix of creative workshops and drop in sessions we support young people to develop the skills, support networks and strength they need to succeed and fulfil their ambitions.
CREATE Johnstone and Linwood
We want to launch a new programme of creative sessions in Linwood and Johnstone but we can’t do it without your help.
Through these programmes young people will have the opportunity to work with a supportive community of trusted adults, friends and peers to develop new creative skills and improve their health and wellbeing. They will gain access to new activities and youth-led spaces to talk about the things that matter to them. They will co-produce our online and in-person Cafe programmes and other activities, all of which will help them to avoid risk taking behaviour and move them towards positive future outcomes.
Chloe’s Story
Chloe lives in Renfrewshire with her family and has been coming to CREATE for two years.
‘I started to come for something to do on a Friday night after school but the staff were all so welcoming that I started volunteering to help at the Cafés, just setting up and helping throughout the night and stuff. After a while I started going to some of the other workshops and taking part in the events and everyone was so nice’
When the Pandemic started and the country was locked down Chloe struggled to cope and turned to CREATE for help:
‘I just had stress that I didn’t realise I had and I started to self-harm. I don’t really know why but just showing it to Brid and letting her know made me feel better. I had been bullied at school a lot in first year and that had really upset my Mum so I didn’t want to stress her out with this so it really helped to know that someone at CREATE is there for me, no matter what’
With one to one support from CREATE’s youth work team Chloe was given a space to talk about her feelings and know that she was not alone. CREATE’s workshops let Chloe mix with her friends while being supported as she needs:
‘I wish I had known about CREATE when I was in first year, it would have helped a lot. It’s important to find someone you trust that you can talk to and I would be completely lost and so upset if CREATE wasn’t there.’
‘I know that lots of young people are struggling at the moment it’s been a really strange this year; money is tight and we’ve lost a lot of family but with CREATE I know that I have people that are there for me, they’re like my family’
They will start to lead the conversations in their communities, being supported to give back and become a positive force for change in the future.
This project successfully funded on 23rd March 2021