We are part of a national initiative that will gift 25,000 vulnerable children and young people with a pack of art materials delivered to their homes. The packs will give them the means to be creative during the challenging times that Covid-19 has brought and ensures that children from deprived communities do not miss out on the play, well-being, and educational benefits of creativity whilst away from school.
Arts Connect has focused its delivery of ‘Let’s Create’ packs on children in care through our partnership with Virtual Schools in the region and for vulnerable children aged 2 to 5, as part of our Moonbeams early years programme.
Pepita Hanna, OUR Associate Director said: ‘The Let’s Create packs are an exciting opportunity to provide children with quality materials and equipment in their own homes. These packs are just for them to play and experiment with ideas, words, pictures, stories, and to be able to create and express themselves in lots of different ways…all so important in this challenging time.’
In the first phase, 400 ‘Let’s Create’ packs were sent to all children in care aged 4-16 years in Dudley. The second phase extends to children in care in Staffordshire, Herefordshire and Telford and Nurseries and Early Years settings in Birmingham and Warwickshire. A third phase is planned later in the summer and we aim to deliver packs to 4,500 children and young people overall.
The ‘Let’s Create’ pack project is led by the network of the ten Bridge organisations in England working in partnership with Arts Council England with support from National Lottery funds, the Crafts Council and other funders. The delivery has been coordinated by the Bridges with their local partners and other philanthropic support. This distribution will act as the first phase of the wider programme roll out in the coming weeks.
Arts Connect is part of the University of Wolverhampton, connecting and supporting communities across the West Midlands, to enable children and young people (from 0-25) to enjoy a rich and meaningful arts and cultural life.
Find out more here about the ACE response here.
If you would be interested in supporting Let’s Create packs in the West Midlands please get in touch with Pepita Hanna.
