“Their story is a hard road to hoe”: how art-making tackles stigma and builds well-being in young people living regionally

Forming relationships through group art-making: An exploration with neurodivergent people living in regional Australia

ISSUES ADDRESSED

Neurodivergent people have a strong history of raw creative expression in the arts, however they also have a history of being segregated from society. This segregation has obstructed pathways to building the connections that maintain both mental and physical health. This research sought to illuminate how group art-making impacts relationship formation with neurodivergent people in regional Australia.

METHOD

The study included nine participants with intellectual disability and one with an acquired brain injury who regularly attend art-making workshops, along with eight of their chosen arts advocates. A single iterative case-study design was employed using participatory action research (PAR) methodology. Methods included: three participant think aloud (T/A) groups, nine researcher observations, and nine third-party interviews. The data were thematically analysed then triangulated using three different sources.

RESULTS

Making art in a group can form enriched relationships with (a) the artwork; (b) the self; (c) others; and (d) community. Facilitation supported how these relationships formed. The relationships increased agency, belonging and wellbeing.

CONCLUSION

These connections mitigate the numerous effects of marginalisation. Art-making has the capacity to enrich the health and wellbeing of neurodivergent populations. SO WHAT?: Art-making groups can provide a space that interrupts the isolation and social exclusion experienced by neurodivergent people. Art workshops offer both an emancipatory space to create where sense of self and relationships with others are enhanced, and an opportunity to reach beyond the studio to connect with communities. These rich connections contribute to better health outcomes for neurodivergent people, thus enhance the wellbeing of their communities.

Using a storytelling intervention in schools to explore death, dying, and loss

Purpose

Experiencing bereavement in childhood can cause profound changes to developmental trajectories. This paper aims to evaluate the feasibility of implementing a public health intervention in schools to encourage pupils aged 12-15 years to independently explore ideas of death, dying, loss and end of life care in a structured and creative format.

Design/methodology/approach

A co-produced storytelling intervention was implemented in an independent school in Norwich, UK. Pupils wrote up to 1,000 words in response to the title, “I Wish We’d Spoken Earlier”. Their participation was voluntary and extra-curricular. Stakeholder feedback was used in addition to the submissions as a measure of acceptability, appropriateness, adoption and feasibility.

Findings

In total, 24 entries were submitted. Pupils demonstrated their ability to engage thoughtfully and creatively with the subject matter. Feasibility for the storytelling intervention was demonstrated. Importantly, the intervention also prompted family conversations around preferences and wishes for end of life care.

Research limitations/implications

To determine whether the intervention has psychological and social benefits will require further study.

Practical implications

Educational settings can be considered as anchor institutions to support a public health approach to end of life care.

Originality/value

The positive response from all stakeholders in delivering and supporting the intervention indicates that schools are a community asset that could be further empowered to support children and families affected by death, dying and loss.