Art for the Heart - Impact on Local Teens

One Term In - What Impact has our Art for the Heart Programme had on local Teens?

This year, Boom Studios received lottery funding from Arts Council of Northern Ireland and additional support from Ards & North Down Borough Council for our year-long project allowing young people to explore and improve their mental health through art.

Led by experienced Art Therapist and Boom studio artist Oonagh Linden, the Art for the Heart initiative commenced weekly Thursday art journaling for 12-15 year olds, and monthly Saturday mindful art sessions for 16-18s.

Based in Boom Studios’ workshop on Main St, the programme’s first term provided 2 x 6 week blocks of art journalling, allowing 12-15 year olds the space to express themselves creatively via art, imagination and words. 
Alongside the journaling, Oonagh holds a monthly Saturday session for 16-18 year olds where participants explore mixed-media art with an aim of relaxation, self expression and mindfulness.

One term in, what results have we seen?  

Everyone has enjoyed themselves, and made more art than they would normally.

Specific things participants enjoyed varied from the range of art materials available to them in Boom’s workshop, to the freedom of being able to express themselves without a set brief they had to follow.  The joy of creativity was a favourite comment, with one person highlighting that they had enjoyed working without the pressure to perfect their work, just doing art and enjoying it.

Even individual sessions were proven to have provided a great benefit to the artists, with their feedback ranging from simply feeling happier, to having been able to calm down after school, feeling more relaxed and noticing their mood had lifted.

After the first 6 week block, we were delighted that they reported a range of wider outcomes as a result of the project, including feeling more confident in their art skills, which would benefit their exam practice.  Another student confirmed that they had noticed both a lift in mood and an improvement in school work.  We were happy to hear that one person highlighted the new friendship they had made, and others felt that they had become generally more creative, often confirming that they were making more art independently at home to continue experiencing the benefits of Oonagh’s sessions.

All participants expressed a wish to come back to future sessions at Boom Studios.

We would like to extend our thanks to the participants and funders.  The new term of journaling, starting after Easter, is fully booked however there are spaces remaining on then next Saturday session, for 16-18 year olds, in May.