IMPACT: Led by You Evaluation Report
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Contents Summary Delegates Conference Content Enrich Presentations Explore Venue and Refreshments Organisation and delivery Take Home Messages Additional Feedback Low Fi Tweets Evaluation Installation Links to online content
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Summary In October 2016 we held our annual Art for Wellbeing conference, this year focused on participant led approaches, achieving wellbeing outcomes through creative activity. 2
IMPACT: Led by You, held at Chancellors Hotel, Manchester involved delegates being led through a participant experience. From initial encounter, through enriching workshops leading to the explore element of the day, which allowed delegates to find out about a variety of participant led projects. Our Methodologies exhibition was the initial encounter point for the day; with delegates receiving goodie bags which guiding their morning session. Workshops from the Art for Wellbeing practitioner team and Workshops for Women, explored creative writing, collage and mark making with activities that encouraged group interaction, decision-making and creative group outcomes. We explored creating Love Letters with ARC (Arts for Recovery), finding out about the Migraine resource from the African and Caribbean Mental Health Service and Tell Us Another One explained their community engagement focus. Delegates had the opportunity to pledge to 100 Moments, the launch project of social movement Live Well Make Art and take part in discussions about recovery with Fallen Angels service user, Darren. Through the day we watched inspiration films from artist Lisa Risbec and Brave Day productions. We heard about links between communities and Public Health from Andrea Fallon (Director of Public Health Rochdale) and Alan Higgins (Director of Public Health Oldham). David Gaffney presented Arts Council England’s approach to arts and wellbeing and Nicky Lidbetter gave an inspirational presentation about Anxiety UK and Self Help Services. This led on to Tedx speaker and Author, Neil Hughes, presentation about tackling his own anxiety issues with humour.
Delegates 50 Delegates attended the event with representation from a range of organisations alongside freelance practitioners, Cartwheel Arts staff and Trustees. Of the 50 3
delegates attending, we received 31 responses to our online survey following the event. The conference was aimed at Arts, Health and Third sector professionals.
Oldham Public Health/ Live Well Make Art Workshops for Women City Hearts Rochdale Public Health Start Manchester MMHSCT Wellcome Trust/Central Manchester NHS Trust Brave Day Productions M6 Theatre Rochdale Council Fallen Angels Link4Life Arts council England African and Caribbean Mental Health Services Inspire Change Manchester Liverpool John Moores University Inspiring Healthy Lifestyles Turnpike Gallery ARC, Arts for Recovery Designed for Change Transitions Counselling Justlife CAN Her Art Manchester Metropolitan University ARD Rochdale The Broughton Trust Walking on Custard Anxiety UK Z-arts
Conference Content We have collected feedback on the conference content, including the Enrich workshops, Presentations and Explore session. 4
Enrich Workshop data
Enrich Workshops Self Scene –Allanah Ashdown What was the most interesting part of this workshop? I found it very useful to place myself as a participant in the group. I felt that the activity was not introduced very clearly and we were not told much about what the aims of the actual workshop would be. Whether this was intentional or not, I found it difficult sharing personal information - making me think about how we approach workshops and session at Studio One with our participants. The value of this has made me think about being more inclusive of our service users and being careful about the clarity of our intent. I also have though about being more understanding of how difficult it is for new participants to release private/personal information that we sometimes may take for granted as staff members. Introductions by other people Listening and feeding back Getting to know other participants Noticing my own insecurities Listening to other people Other people The dynamics of the group Is there anything you would do differently if delivering this workshop? I would have been clearer about what the activity would entail - perhaps letting us know that the information we would be sharing would be used 'publicly' to create a poem. The activity was interrupted by a fire alarm, so I understand that this did not help with the cohesiveness of the session. Being in the lobby also meant that when we were talking about ourselves there was no privacy and people were talking and milling around us as the session progressed. Was there a confidentiality aspect to the 'group rules' that was not recognised in this public space perhaps? 5
Allow more time for the paired work Lobby area was a little difficult The ‘finding someone you have something in common with’, bit at the end... a bit awkward and risk of isolation. If more time to explore those feelings then that would be great, but with limited time it was just a case of 'no one wants to sit with me'. Location, Time, seating Not hold the session in the lobby, felt a little exposed
Other Comments on Self Scene I really enjoyed the session and felt that we worked well as a group to create something quite powerful in a very short space of time.
Collaborative Landscape – Lisa Risbec and Stacey Coughlin What was the most interesting part of this workshop? Co- Production Working with others, exploring the activity Working with people from different backgrounds and seeing different approaches Not knowing that we were going to rip up the first piece of work to make the second. Some interesting dynamics in the groups - decision making in our group was quite effective, but different members took different approaches and there could have been disagreements in a different scenario! It was all very interesting and useful Having the permission to experiment The different communications styles of the group Sharing words defining our self- image Delegates drawings How engaged everyone was. All participants very enthusiastic and absorbed. Permission to experiment Is there anything you would do differently if delivering this workshop? Mix the two groups after first initial task We focused on the task. Would have been good to spend time discussing potential application of these types of activities with the delegates. We didn't get to discuss transferability or share experiences There was a brief explanation of the way you deliver, which I would have liked more of. Discussion at the end was good. Different space, more time Be extra aware of those who may feel intimidated Other Comments on Collaborative Landscape Build in reflective discussion I would have liked more details about the other enrich sessions Excellent
Wellbeing Island – Beth Morgan and Jodie Silverman What was the most interesting part of this workshop? 6
Being a team I will try the wellbeing island activity with a group of staff who I support Time to reflect on what well-being looks like Give more time to talking through the activity before getting on with it Learning about different groups styles of interactions and decision making. It was also interesting to look at how people view well-being when given an open task. I thought the juxtaposition between well-being based on their own experiences and well-being based on a utopia was interesting and I would choose to explore this further with a group. Meeting other people and discussions prompted by the workshop The design and delivery of the workshop as this relates to the work I do. Individuals approach to the activity. There was a real mix of people, e.g. freelancers, small and large organisations, individuals. Listening to everyone’s feedback about the activity and what we created. The collaboration in the group Interaction between the different groups of people Working with others by being creative, listening to other people's ideas about wellbeing and seeing how everyone worked together. I thought it was delivered well and there was lots of time and space to work.
Is there anything you would do differently if delivering this workshop? Put some music on during the task The group was left to form, norm and storm. How would this work with a vulnerable group, I felt some people may feel totally left out and may not even contribute. I felt facilitators could of checked if everyone was ok and involved Other Comments of Wellbeing Island It would of been nice if activities were short and sweet so we could try out more than one. The morning was very engaging and interesting; there was lots of variety, which made it enjoyable.
Presentations Presentations from a range of speakers aimed to give an insight into participant led approaches from arts and health perspectives.
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Presentation comments Very relevant and engaging presentations. Good variety and very well organised Might have been helpful to see more connectivity between the plenary slots Loved Neil Hughes' comedy piece. I found them all interesting, although not immediately relevant to me, as I do not live
in the area. But they provided food for thought and ideas, which may be transferable. I found it all really engaging - and it sparked off lots of ideas. LOVED Neil's presentation- found David's could have been a bit shorter and a little more dynamic I thought Neil’s presentation was really insightful and excellent Neil's presentation was very insightful. It gave a whole new perspective on anxiety and how it affects people. I think that when people do presentations they should take time out to look at them first. The Rochdale Public Health was too complicated and the colours were difficult and made reading the slides very hard. Nice variety, invaluable to have an opportunity to speak to people in influential places. Engaging and interesting All presenters were engaging and valuable - however, slightly unimpressed with a comment made by a speaker in reference to Wigan...this has been addressed but unfortunately sends out the wrong message which is a shame A good variety of presentations that were all interesting in their own way
Explore Session During the Explore session, participants could create their own route around the space, exploring different organisations and approaches to wellbeing and participation. During this time Art for Wellbeing practitioners were available to discuss the project with delegates and the Methodologies exhibition was available to view. Feedback from our 2015 conference informed our decision to create space for networking and the feedback shows that this was one of the most valuable elements of the Explore session for delegates.
Venue and Refreshments
Wonderful lunch in a lovely environment and also catered for my gluten & wheat free issues. Obviously too far from Rochdale.... Welcoming and good food MONSTER cakes! From the north of Manchester any means of transport was not wonderful...too far from the tram to make public transport sensible. The food was excellent The chef made me a special lactose free desert even though I didn't ask for one. Very thoughtful. I have never ever been defeated by a chocolate cake until this day. Impressive cakes. Would have liked something to eat on arrival, none left All excellent
Delicious lunch which was much appreciated Delicious and lots of it! The lunch was very nice, thank you
Organisation and Delivery I was really impressed with the organisation of the conference. I particularly liked the idea that we were on a journey throughout the day and this worked very well for me. Well timed, interesting to the end and I thought the final film of the day was genius! Well pulled together by the whole team; having the arts practitioners there was useful. For me I was rather disappointed by the content of the day ... I had focused on Art for wellbeing and 'participant lead' so I was expecting it to be more experiential and expected to be bringing more ideas back for my work as a therapist. I wasn't expecting so many speakers and much of the information and networking was based around Greater Manchester so felt less relevant to myself based in Sheffield. Kerry did a great job hosting the day ... she was warm and welcoming but I left feeling rather disappointed ... it was an expensive day to come away without the tools/ideas I had hoped for. You provided a brilliant EXPERIENCE not just a conference A fantastic event and very well organised, thank you
A very positive mood right to the end of the day. Really liked the dome and that project. I thought some of the slogans were very thoughtful, and I look forward to seeing them collated. The event made me think very differently about art and wellbeing (in a positive way)
Take Home Messages
To be more inclusive of service users in planning and delivery of our sessions and to attempt to make our service more co-delivered. The value of creativity & the arts in stimulating engagement. Talk to people - make connections - and be stronger! Incorporate more creativity in my therapeutic work Repeat funding applications as necessary... That there is more support than I had previously thought for the arts in health settings - but not enough!
We are all human The need for a patient centred approach to dealing with mental health There’s is a lot going on and we need to be better at sharing and sign posting That Art for Wellbeing initiatives are invaluable to improving mental health and collaboration between different bodies and groups are key to delivering these services with impact Making connections is powerful, and, there is always a way The arts has a vital place in health and wellbeing and there are others who believe the same I'm super inspired to be part of a wide arts and health network in Greater Manchester and excited how much cross over this has into other areas of wellbeing, physical health and nutrition for example Arts has a huge impact on Wellbeing with even greater potential Bring more creativity into my therapeutic work An opportunity to feel connected with others who feel passionate about art for wellbeing People like me want to talk to people like you This work is important and needs more stability There are lots of passionate people our there who care and are doing positive things to help people, despite the current climate of austerity Keep doing what your doing, listen and be aspirational Take more time out to relax and unwind through art. I found the day very helpful, and it made me realise how important art can be for wellbeing.
Additional feedback Alongside information gathered from the survey monkey following the event we also captured feedback through various visual methods. Low Fi Tweets, contributions to our Evaluation Installation and film and photography.
Low Fi Tweets Throughout the day, delegates had the opportunity to write and be photographed holding their ‘low fi tweet’ thoughts about wellbeing, the conference or their experience.
Evaluation Installation Delegates were asked to comment on one of 3 themes, following their morning Enrich workshops, Connect/Ideas/Collaborate. These were then displayed as part of a growing installation. We plan to recreate this installation in different locations, photograph and curate an exhibition based on these themes.
Connection It helps me to speak with new people who I haven’t yet met Watch and look rather than talk to connect Freedom, permission, ask and expand Fluidity together, valuable together Clear communication is key to connection By listening to others thoughts and ideas it allows you to make connections with those you feel empathy with It was great to share ideas and connect, everyone had different ideas but there was respect
Ideas Eclectic, so many different approaches, perspectives and solutions Be free to create without pressure of being perfect! Share and Listen It is worth challenging ourselves-what does wellbeing look like? Openly share ideas Do something different, do something differently, try, do. Those who say they can and those who say they can’t, are both usually right Doing adds depth to understanding
Good to make use of connecting to see different perspectives Discovering the treasure of connection through doing The context helps generate new ideas The freedom to explore is a great idea
Collaboration I really enjoyed the decision making process (in the workshop-Wellbeing Island), it was relaxed and liberating. However as in partnership working generally some people had the wrong priorities! There was a collaborating ‘snowball’ effect’ there was discussion, compromises and decisions making flowed leading to a richer outcome You need time to work out a consensus before getting active Compromise and democracy was the order of the day Its good to hear others ideas Collaboration is great as it builds on strengths within a group Collaboration can be challenging until you get to know each other Collaboration is a great way to explore individuals needs in a group and focus on meeting those wellbeing needs in a community Lets work together as a team Collaborate with new people We came together to create a social group I like organisaing and planning but I had to step back to work within the group, it felt uncomfortable Accepting others strengths and weaknesses
IMPACT: Led by You – Links to Online Content Website http://www.cartwheelarts.org.uk/event/impact-led-by-you Blog https://artforwellbeing.wordpress.com/2016/11/09/impact-led-by-youconference-2/ Photos https://www.flickr.com/photos/cartwheelarts/albums/72157672383020140 Low Fi Tweets https://www.flickr.com/photos/cartwheelarts/albums/72157671830108163 Film of the day https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIqiVvfzfpw