Vivify provides older people with mental health illnesses the opportunity to take part in tours of Yorkshire Sculpture Park (YSP) and hands on practical workshops on a fortnightly basis. Ten full-day sessions, based at YSP, offers a safe place for up to 20 participants, care assistants, YSP staff and students to take part in creative activities inspired by landscape and sculpture.
The project helps to tackle issues of social isolation and improves mood and self-esteem. The project will also teach new skills and gives people a sense of ownership of the park, encouraging independent return visits.
The project aims to:
- Reduce isolation for older people with mental health illnesses
- Engage those that would not normally take part in arts and cultural activities or spend time outdoors
- Develop participants’ creative skills by experimenting with a wide variety of media and natural materials
- Increase participants’ wellbeing through walking and spending time outdoors
- Increase participants’ confidence and wellbeing, and provide activities and improved access to support continued visits and engaging with the Park beyond the project
- Act as a model for best practice and through dissemination encourage organisations to adopt similar models
- Provide invaluable training opportunities for NHS staff to continue similar work in day service centres
- Act as a resource for other organisations and students of health and wellbeing to learn from by providing opportunities for shadowing and distributing case studies