Mind The Gap - Arts4Wellbeing

MIND THE GAP - ARTS4WELLBEING

Mind the Gap/Cofiwch y Bwlch is a project by Arts4Wellbeing that aims to build links between older people who either live in care homes, extra care facilities or who live in their own home but have become isolated, with younger people, either through linking with schools or activity groups like scouts, young farmers or other youth groups.

This project will benefit the whole community in many ways including older people who feel isolated and have lost their sense of purpose will become more active and connected to the community, their knowledge and lived experience will be shared and passed on to a younger generation, and younger people will have the opportunity to learn informally and in an interesting way from people with real lived experience.

Mind the Gap also provides the opportunity to raise awareness about any anxiety that comes from interacting together across different generations, this anxiety can then be reduced, which will then see generations work together and encourage communities to become more connected and resilient. People will not only have the opportunity to engage with new people but also to reconnect with people that they have lost contact with.

The first stage of Mind the Gap will be scoping and feedback exercises that invite citizens of all ages, from three geographical area (Lampeter, Tregaron, Aberystwyth) to an event in the centre of each community. Working in partnership with CAVO to contact individuals, facilitators will then visit secondary schools in each of the areas to creatively engage the children in order for them to co-create and develop the community engagement events.

After the completion of the sessions, follow up research sessions within the communities in a setting that will be familiar and comfortable for people to develop stories and ask more in-depth questions using skills such as ‘Most Significant Change’ and ‘Magic Moments’ will be held to capture the voice of the community. The information gathered will then be used to put together a set of actions / project ideas that could be implemented in a stage 2 of Mind the Gap.

The project will conclude with a final report being created which includes a number of case studies along with a set of actions that can be implemented in a future project(s).

To view the final report click here.

This project has received funding through the Welsh Government Rural Communities – Rural Development Programme 2014-2020, which is funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and the Welsh Government.