Creative tools for building emotional literacy and resilience amongst children in Newham, London (Follow-on to AH/V015613/1 - Far Apart UK)
Lead Research Organisation:
Queen Mary University of London
Department Name: Drama
Abstract
Ensuring young people develop mental health resilience is a global priority that has become more acute because of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has adversely affected children, young people and their carers. Mental health distress often appears early in the life course, making the availability of effective interventions that children can take forward into adulthood an urgent priority.
The original research demonstrates that creative exercises and activities build a sense of resilience and encourage learning around mental health. It also demonstrates the young people are actively seeking better conversations and resources about how they can understand and support their mental health.
Engaging young people in different art forms and practices can support them to regulate emotions, improve communication and social skills, build stronger relationships, and become more resilient. All of these factors contribute to helping young people reduce stress levels and minimise the risk of developing mental health disorders. Artistic interventions are an untapped resource that can be relatively straightforward to deliver, as well as fun, versatile and inclusive rather than formal and stigmatising for young people.
Schools provide a unique environment to support children in the prevention of mental health difficulties and to deliver creative activities. Yet, delivering school-based mental health interventions and incorporating these into the curriculum can be burdensome to teachers.
Building on our findings across a portfolio of original research - 'Far Apart UK' (AH/V015613/1), 'Building Resilience'/'OLA' (MR/S03580X/1) and 'Far Apart but Close at Heart' (AH/V006517/1) - we will develop and pilot a programme of creative participatory tools that can be used independently by teachers, with minimal preparation, to support mental health literacy and resources for recovery from mental distress in primary schools in the UK. This Follow-On proposal would support the development and piloting of a set of workshops in three primary schools in one of London's most under-served Boroughs, leading to the creation of a toolkit of exercises that artists and primary school teachers across the UK can deliver to extend the impact of the project.
The original research demonstrates that creative exercises and activities build a sense of resilience and encourage learning around mental health. It also demonstrates the young people are actively seeking better conversations and resources about how they can understand and support their mental health.
Engaging young people in different art forms and practices can support them to regulate emotions, improve communication and social skills, build stronger relationships, and become more resilient. All of these factors contribute to helping young people reduce stress levels and minimise the risk of developing mental health disorders. Artistic interventions are an untapped resource that can be relatively straightforward to deliver, as well as fun, versatile and inclusive rather than formal and stigmatising for young people.
Schools provide a unique environment to support children in the prevention of mental health difficulties and to deliver creative activities. Yet, delivering school-based mental health interventions and incorporating these into the curriculum can be burdensome to teachers.
Building on our findings across a portfolio of original research - 'Far Apart UK' (AH/V015613/1), 'Building Resilience'/'OLA' (MR/S03580X/1) and 'Far Apart but Close at Heart' (AH/V006517/1) - we will develop and pilot a programme of creative participatory tools that can be used independently by teachers, with minimal preparation, to support mental health literacy and resources for recovery from mental distress in primary schools in the UK. This Follow-On proposal would support the development and piloting of a set of workshops in three primary schools in one of London's most under-served Boroughs, leading to the creation of a toolkit of exercises that artists and primary school teachers across the UK can deliver to extend the impact of the project.
