iArrive
an ARTiculate Project
overview
iArrive is a participant-centred project being delivered as part of the Arts Council Northern Ireland’s ARTiculate Project funding 2022/23.
‘Arrive’ means to reach a destination but also, to reach a desired level of accomplishment. Synonyms for the latter meaning include flourish, prosper, and thrive.
What & How
We are working in partnership with The Welcome Hub at Integrated College Glengormley. The Welcome Hub provides support for the varied learning needs of newcomer and refugee young people. Alongside partner organisations they enable young people to face challenges, be confident and be curious, as they adapt to life in NI prior to joining mainstream education.
Creativity is an asset for supporting trauma, anxiety, and isolation. This project will take a proactive role in supporting, improving, and maintaining mental health and wellbeing. It creates a safe space in the classroom for young people to express feelings and opinions while learning new skills in ‘Digital Story Sharing’ using various art-media including photography, filmmaking, illustration, and animation.
This is a participant-centred project which leaves space for co-design. By giving decision making power to young people, we are striving to build stronger connections and a greater personal investment from them in the process and outcomes. This is important for newcomer young people who lack control in their lives as they try to settle into a new place, learn a new language and adjust to another culture. This project offers space for them to take ownership of their personal stories and experiences, controlling how they are represented. The co-design structure allows
· Young people to decide collectively what and how they would like to explore and share
· The delivery team to listen, collaborate and offer what is meaningful, age appropriate and enjoyable to these young people
Key Outcomes
Increase mental resilience and self-awareness
Increase young people’s capacity to engage in group activities
Offer a sense of ownership and help develop their confidence in making choices
Provide the opportunity to explore new ways to express their feelings
Develop improved life skills while increasing mental resilience
Artist-Facilitator Team
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Jason Parks
Drama & Storytelling.
Jason is a very experience Drama artist. As well as interface projects in NI with his own company Theatre Without Walls he has worked with minority groups and on cross community engagement programmes around the NI and UK for numerous organisations.
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Corey McKinney
Photography & Film.
Corey has over 10 years’ experience working and learning in the arts industry as a creative practitioner his career has inc. various roles such as director, cinematographer, editor, and sound designer.
About ARTiculate
The ARTiculate Young People and Wellbeing Programme was set up by the Arts Council to help give a voice to young people (aged 12-18) through drama, music, visual arts and literature activities. In September 2020, organisations were invited to apply for up to £10,000 each to support arts-led projects, with a particular focus on developing projects which included young people experiencing higher levels of disadvantage or exclusion and more vulnerable groups, such as those living with a mental health condition, eating disorders or addiction.
Lorraine Calderwood, ARTiculate Young People and Wellbeing Programme Manager at the Arts Council, commented:
“Thanks to funding from the National Lottery, we are delighted to announce grants for 24 organisations today through the ARTiculate Programme. The positive links between engagement in the arts and our health and wellbeing are firmly established and we believe that this programme is more important than ever post-pandemic, as young people across Northern Ireland continue to recover from the effects of lock-down and social isolation’