MakeGood & L!STEN

As we are coming to the end of this section of the programme, let's have a look back, with Ciara, at what this amazing group has done...

From November, we have collaborated with the fabulous Jen from Make Good (CIC) to deliver fortnightly sessions for a group of care experienced young people. These sessions have created a space for the young people to discuss their experiences as a care experienced young person and relate to others with similar experiences. Throughout the 12-13 sessions, the group have achieved a lot! They have taken part in many creative activities such as furniture upcycling, wreath making, creating Christmas decorations and many more. They have recorded podcast clips whilst having discussions about their experiences with the care system. Also, they have been introduced to enterprising. They sold their decorations at John Lewis and used their profits towards a Christmas meal.

They decided to express their experiences for the Leading Lights exhibition by filming a 'rage room' paint fight and they layered this with audio from podcasts created in previous sessions to communicate their frustrations over some of their experiences. They named this expressive piece - 'It's just nice to be asked'. From this piece they also decided to create some products out of the artwork to symbolise giving away a part of their anger and frustration. The money they have gathered from this will be used for an end of project celebration. We displayed the film of the 'rage room' at the Leading Lights event in Manchester and everyone was moved by how the young people expressed their experiences and what they had to say.

This art piece was also displayed at a celebration event at the Horsfall which the group attended. This event celebrated the creativity and work of other care experienced young people around Greater Manchester who have been working on the Shaping Care project. It was amazing to see how the different groups have expressed their experiences with the care system through art. It was a great celebration with some fantastic people!

We have secured some funding for the group to get active with a range of activities. We have started with a walk at Woodbank park and are planning many more activities! Keep an eye out on our socials!