Title: Participatory Group Textile Practice as a Route to Support Mental Health and Social Interaction in Secondary School Pupils
Stream: Strategies for Promoting Creative Thinking
Presentation Type: Live-Stream Presentation
Authors:
Catherine Howard, University of Leeds, United Kingdom
Abstract:
The mental health of young people is now a significant cause for concern as the impacts of Covid-19 lockdowns, school closures and bereavements are assessed. Schools in the United Kingdom (UK) are charged by the government with identifying and supporting pupils who are struggling with their mental health and wellbeing, and with delivering a prescribed mental health curriculum for all pupils across the age ranges. For many, creativity plays a significant part in defining wellbeing but National Curriculum changes in the UK have diminished creative opportunities in schools and many children, particularly those from lower-income communities, do not have regular access to the arts, resulting in limited opportunity to enhance their wellbeing through creative activity.
This paper explores the relationship between mental health and participatory group textile practice, outlining the methodology, implementation, and findings from a pilot study with secondary pupils in a Birmingham inner-city school. Working primarily with a core group of eight students aged between 11 and 15 with experience of poor mental health, the project progressed from idea generation to completing and sharing the final textile outcome. As a six-week group hand-stitch project, the study focused on the impact of the shared process on the pupils, the rationales behind their decision-making, and the positivity generated through their successful completion of the project. A participant-observer qualitative methodology was implemented in the research, with questionnaires also informing the project evaluation.
Conference Comments & Feedback
Place a comment using your LinkedIn profileShare this Presentation
Comments
Powered by WP LinkPress