What's Happening

We are pleased to say that 26 students have now been offered a place on this course being run by Staffordshire University between February and April 2009. It is one of the first fully accredited arts and health professional development programmes in the UK. All the students either have a commission (practical project) in place or are embarking on interviews to secure one. The course is being supported by commissions from hospitals, Primary Care Trusts, arts organisations, local authorities and even praXis itself!

Representatives from these organisations will meet at the very first Employers. Forum on 1st December. If your organisation is interested in supporting the training of artists, health or community development workers, then why not join this Forum?

The 'Move It!' project, website and report has just been completed. See moveitblackcountry.co.uk Move It! is the second series of projects commissioned by the Black Country Arts and Health Partnership. It was targeted at 13 - 19 year olds and used dance as a medium to explore issues relating to obesity, specifically addressing issues of body image and the impact this has on young people's self esteem and self confidence.

The project also aimed to encourage young people to do more physical activity outside of school hours. Dudley Performing Arts delivered the dance element of the project, while young people worked alongside artists from Multistory to inform, document and review the local arts and health projects. The group went on to use this material to create the website. For more information on Black Country Arts and Health Joint Commissioning, email info@creativehealthcic.co.uk

Top Tip: Sticky Walls

This month we have invited Kate Gant, a founder member of creativityteam, to share her top tip on involving people in arts and health work.

Sticky Walls are an invaluable tool for all facilitators. Lengths of lightweight rip stop nylon can be used to capture ideas and information and rearrange them. You just stick and move images and papers in any way you want to.

creativityteam have used sticky walls with arts and health partners to agree and prioritise arts and health outcomes at the start of the commissioning process; with residents attending focus groups to create large scale mind maps which help explore a range of issues; and with members of project steering groups to present ideas in a visual, interactive way.

To make a sticky wall, first buy a length of rip stop nylon. Local markets are a good source, or it is available online - try Pennine Fabrics www.pennineoutdoor.co.uk. You can also buy ready made kits from www.ica-uk.org.uk. Then spray (front side only!) with repositionable spray mount. The first time you spray, do so liberally with the material laid on the floor. Spray back and forth, and up and down, and repeat across the length of the rip stop nylon.

To use, attach your sticky wall to a wide, flat expanse of wall using wide masking tape. Masking tape should not damage most painted walls and is easy to remove from the wall and the cloth. Re-spray the sticky wall as often as you need more sticking power. The material should be sticky enough that your papers do not float off, but not so sticky that you struggle to peel them off..