Our project will target people from protected characteristic groups with mental health issues, and develop creative thinking and relaxation by providing a mixture of art therapy, relaxation and exercise in weekly sessions. The relaxation and exercise sessions will comprise of alternate yoga and dance sessions to stimulate and relax the mind to assist the creative expression that comes from the art therapy.
Emotionally the project will engage people with their issues through painting, helping maintain and improve their mental health and where possible avoiding isolation, stress and building their capacity and resilience through working with other cultures with common issues.
We hold sessions every week, in the morning and afternoon to make it as easier as possible for you to attend. We can also offer childcare so please bring your children along!
Our art therapy sessions are delivered by a professional artist who has exhibited in the UK and abroad, and has delivered art therapy in the UK. The sessions will teach and support people to paint in oils helping them deal and express their issues through this medium.
In some cases, the therapy will assist the attendees to identify issues that were troubling them and if necessary refer them to the relevant service.
Our physical activity sessions also aim to improve peoples emotional stability and help them achieve a healthy mind and healthy body, with a focus on yoga as well as dance.
Through the healthy minds and healthy body programme, we aim to:
Improve social inclusion
Improve community cohesion: by bringing together people from different backgrounds and have them work on a project together.
Improve social capital
Capacity building: by introducing the group to new skills and the opportunity to learn about new cultures and people from different backgrounds.
Combat mental health stigma: by highlighting that mental health issues can be experienced by all and encouraging people to share their experiences.
Promote a healthy lifestyle for mind and body: exercise is a good treatment for many health problems, both physical and mental. It reduces physical frailty and might prolong the lifespan, but (in synergy with other factors, such as lifestyle or genetics) it can improve the quality of later life by preserving healthy intellectual functioning and preventing – or at least delay – dementia. We’ll explore these issues and show people how they can embrace a healthy lifestyle.
Improve physical health: to help people reduce tension, stress and mental fatigue, develop a sense of achievement, develop a healthy appetite and have fun.