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An online event exploring creating SPACES to enhance young people’s wellbeing through arts, culture, entertainment and sport.
On October 8th, the #BeeWell programme hosted a webinar on SPACES (supporting participation in arts, culture, entertainment and sport), bringing together partners, researchers, and young people to discuss the power of SPACES in enhancing youth wellbeing. The event featured insightful presentations from Factory International, Football Beyond Borders, Creatives Now and highlighted the incredible work being done in Greater Manchester.
The event forms part of our Spotlight on Hobbies series.
Neil Humphrey, Professor of Psychology of Education at The University of Manchester and academic lead for the #BeeWell programme, kicked off the event by emphasising the importance of making young people’s wellbeing a collective responsibility.
Factory International
Amber Calland, Creative Learning Manager at Factory International, shared the successes of the Factory International Schools programme. This initiative partners with secondary schools across Greater Manchester to integrate creativity into the curriculum, focusing on social and emotional learning. Amber highlighted the programme’s impact on student confidence, attendance, and engagement, showcasing projects which allow students to explore their identities through creative activities. The #BeeWell research team, together with Creative Manchester, is currently working with Factory International on an evaluation of this programme.
“The programme itself is structured to support the social and emotional learning of the young people, building resilience, well-being, cultural capital, but mostly to improve their confidence through participating in sometimes challenging creative arts activities.” - Amber Calland
“Creative Manchester supports interdisciplinary research and this project’s development and evaluation of creative practices as an integral part of young people’s well-being is a benchmark for how our research cam be meaningful and impactful.” – John McAuliffe, Creative Manchester Director
Football Beyond Borders
James Reeves, Senior Policy Manager at Football Beyond Borders (FBB), discussed how
FBB’s team of relatable youth workers work with young people at risk of exclusion. By combining classroom learning with football sessions, FBB helps students develop social-emotional skills and build better relationships with their teachers. James highlighted the positive outcomes of their programmes, including improved behaviour and academic performance, and shared stories of memorable experiences that have left lasting impacts on the participants.
“Our work is really about one key thing, providing young people with a trusted adult who they can talk to when they’re struggling.” - James Reeves
Creatives Now
Naomi Lord, along with young participants Stella and Ruby, presented the work of Creatives Now, a community interest company in Bolton. Naomi explained how Creatives Now empowers young people to co-create projects that reflect their interests and passions. Stella shared her experiences with the youth governance board and various creative projects, while Ruby discussed her role as an artist in residence and the development of the Ink and Imagination festival, which uses comics to explore mental health and identity.
“Learning about organisations with ongoing projects in collaboration with #BeeWell data specifically was very interesting. Hearing about their impact and especially how the projects helped increase pupils attendance, and so schools are seeing the importance and positive influence of creative industry impact was great to learn. I hope that more schools see the benefits of these projects and are able to get the support they need to be able to partake in them.
Being able to represent Creatives Now was great. I was able to share my experiences as a youth trustee and hopefully they’ve reached the right ears. I encourage creative practitioners and educators to support youth to lead and co-create opportunities for their creative health entitlement.” – Stella
“It was great to represent Creatives Now at the #BeeWell event and to share how they have supported me to grow my personal practice and business as an early career artist. It was valuable to share details of my personal practice which explores trauma, complex PTSD, and young people’s creative health and identity. The event introduced me to a supportive network that is helping me to grow my business and practice further – e.g. via a visual storytelling research group at The University of Manchester. I gained valuable insights into other organisations’ approaches to creative health research and young people’s well-being. Additionally, I was impressed by #BeeWell’s role as a central resource for Greater Manchester’s development in young people’s creative health. “ – Ruby
“During my residency, Creatives Now has allowed me to have a space to develop my business and it’s helped me to develop my practice, giving me funding support, use of the space, and opportunities for networking.” - Ruby
Research Insights
Neil Humphrey provided an overview of the research conducted by the #BeeWell team. He discussed a study that identified patterns of participation in arts, culture, entertainment, and sports among young people and their impact on wellbeing. The findings revealed that engagement in these activities is linked to higher wellbeing, highlighting the importance of making such opportunities accessible to all. Neil also shared the results of an evaluation of Football Beyond Borders, which demonstrated significant improvements in the wellbeing of participants.
The event was rounded off by a creative piece by local artist, SAF-S2E, and Kirith Entwistle, Labour MP for Bolton North East sharing her experiences around the importance of SPACES.
Thank you to all those who were able to join this event, part of our Spotlight On Hobbies series!
You can read more from our Research Team here : Creating SPACES for young people’s wellbeing (manchester.ac.uk)
