Time and again creative activities and community arts have shown to be an excellent tool to get people together, to help them develop a range of skills including personal skills as well as practical skills and to reduce their isolation.
Making It (2007)
Making It was an initiative of the West Kent Arts Partnership. It involved introducing a wide range of arts and craft based skills and activities to targeted communities in West Kent. The activities were targeted at groups at risk of social isolation, such as parents with young children, single parents, older people, unemployed people and disabled people. Making It was designed to help participants develop new skills, increase their self-confidence and give them an opportunity for social interaction within their local community in a safe and supported environment.
Karin oversaw a year-long Making It programme which successfully engaged the target groups in West Kent, managed project managers and artists, and undertook an in-depth evaluation of the impact of the work on individuals. The report is available on request. The project helped several participants to make significant life changes, for instance taking part in social activity for the first time in years after a long illness, setting up a home-based card making business after long-term unemployment, overcoming depression and returning to education.
“ It’s fantastic. I would recommend it to anybody.
If you’ve got a chance to do it, then do it. I love it.” (Making It participant)
Neighbourhood Impact Arts (NIA)
Karin evaluated the NIA programme during the first three years of its existence. Funded by Arts Council England and AmicusHorizon Group, the project employed an artist in residence to facilitate projects for children, young people, young adults and families in deprived areas of Swale, including Sittingbourne and Sheerness on the Kent coast. The evaluation was a formative evaluation in the first two years, followed by a summative report after three years. One of the project's aims was to get people of different age groups talking to eachother, and to enhance community cohesion through the arts. NIA managed people from different factions in the target communities to get to know each other, and helped people to feel more comfortable within their community. The final report is available on request.
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