what was our Creative Mentoring in Residential Homes project?
Our Creative Mentoring in Residential Homes project all happened between July to September 2024. Did you know that we placed two experienced and trained Creative Mentors in four Residential Homes across Derbyshire for two hours a week across a 10 week period? This project was designed to engage the young care-experienced people living at the Residential Home in arts and creativity to foster a sense of belonging and community within the home.
how did it all work?
Two of our inspiring Creative Mentors were recruited to work with young care-experienced people in two residential homes each. They spent two hours a week in their given residential homes to ensure consistency and to help the young people settle into the sessions easier.
what did the young people create?
One home used a shared interest in Harry Potter amongst the young people to create Harry Potter themed artwork, and the sessions culminated in a Harry Potter themed dinner. Two of the Residential Homes worked on canvases depicting the home with portraits of all the staff and young people included. One home focused on having various smaller scale art pieces to fill the walls of the homes, creating an inspiring and imaginative environment for the young people.
why was this project important?
These sessions were put in place to help the young people feel a sense of belonging in the home. This project was also to focus on getting the staff members involved in the sessions in the hopes they would be able to build their confidence and help to keep the legacy of the project alive in the home after the sessions had come to a close.