At Cayr, we often say that creativity is not an add-on to health, it is part of it. So it was a real pleasure to read the Arts Council of Wales’s new evaluation of its Arts and Minds programme, which adds strong evidence to something we see in our workshops every week.
Arts and Minds is a national programme, co-funded with The Baring Foundation, that runs creative projects through five NHS Health Boards in Wales. Last year, nearly 300 children and young people receiving support from Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services took part. Using questionnaires built around the Five Ways to Wellbeing, which measure how connected, active, giving, learning and aware young people feel, the evaluation found improvements in every area, as well as in enjoyment.
For me, though, the best part of the report was hearing from the young people themselves. They described the sessions as fun and relaxing, a chance to make friends, and a place where they felt safe, proud of what they had made, and listened to and respected. That is exactly what we hope young people feel when they walk into a Cayr session.
Two findings stood out to me. First, more than a third of participants had not been doing any regular arts activity before, and 95% said they intended to keep being creative. That tells us that when creative opportunities are offered in the right way, young people who might never have chosen them say yes. Second, the evaluation calls for stronger links between NHS-based creative activity and opportunities in the community, so that young people have somewhere to carry on once a programme ends. Community arts organisations have a real part to play in making that happen.
Before founding Cayr, I worked in public health commissioning. I’ve seen how much stronger the case for creative health becomes when evidence like this is shared widely. So please read the report, pass it on, and if you work with young people, think about how creativity could be part of the support you offer.
You can read the full summary of findings on the Arts Council of Wales website.
With warmth and gratitude,
Hannah
Naturehood workshop, organised by Cayr Charity, where young people connect with nature and the environment through art and creativity.
