The 2009/10 WCC Arts and health programme delivered by Community Arts Workshop

We would like to draw your attention to an opportunity to develop arts and health projects for your service users, funded by the County Council Arts Service.

CAW has been commissioned by Warwickshire County Council to deliver an Arts and Health programme between October 09 and Spring 2010.

The programme will see projects delivered in each of the five districts of the county, to a number of people using a range of health and social care services with some emphasis (but by no means exclusively) on children and young people.

As the first part of the programme we are seeking expressions of need/interest from health and social care providers across Warwickshire.  These should identify groups of people we could work with, and the type of outcomes they might wish to achieve through delivery of an arts and health project. For example, people with mental health issues gaining increased confidence and decreased feelings of isolation, elderly out patients recovering from falls gaining increased confidence and independence, or young people at risk of substance abuse gaining confidence in their own decision making skills and ability to resist peer pressure. 

The information we receive will be used to select a range of groups to participate in the projects, and to match them up with community artists and spaces where the projects can be carried out.

How to apply
In order to select the groups to be worked with, CAW is asking that all services fill in their expression of interest which can be download from their website: www.communityartsworkshop.org and return it by Friday November the 27th.

Please return the completed questionnaire by email to mail@communityartsworkshop.org

CAW will assess the expressions of interest to select people and providers using a range of criteria including:

• Access for people using services to our projects.
• Support by providers for the project and people taking part.
• Suitable spaces being available for the projects to be carried out.
• Availability of suitable artists/facilitators for any particular project.
• Relevant requirements for safe working.

The selected providers will then be contacted in late November and projects designed together with people using the services.  Project delivery will happen between January and March 2010.

Programme details
CAW aims to work with the identified groups to create a number of projects, working creatively with them using a range of art forms that may include film, animation, visual art, creative writing, poetry, theatre, dance, music, journalism, photography and community publishing. The creative work produced throughout the programme will be exhibited and shown in galleries, libraries and other publicly accessible spaces; wherever possible at the end of the indivudual projects.

CAW will also make a film of the programme involving people using services and the providers of those services, to help create a big picture of the health and social care scene in Warwickshire. This film will feature the needs and wants of the people that use the social and health care services. We will also explore new ideas for creative ways forward towards greater independence, wellbeing, social inclusion and empowerment for those coping with health and wellbeing issues.
The programme will be celebrated and reported on along with lots of relevant news, views, artwork, poetry and information in a magazine/newspaper called …… Everyone’s Issue

CAW are also currently developing information and guidance on the use of Direct Payments to access creative activities for people using health and social care services. This information will be included on our website, in the film of the project and in the final publication ‘Everyone’s Issue’. It is hoped that through self directed funding all of those people using services expressing the wish to participate in creative projects will be able to do so.

If you have any questions about the project please email Fran Godwin at mail@communityartsworkshop.org or telephone 01926 888333