A project helping young people in the North East to be creative and connect with nature has been hugely successful in boosting wellbeing among participants.
Natural England and Mortal Fools have completed work on a unique and innovative collaborative project combining wellbeing, outdoor activities and creativity to support young people aged between 11 and 18 in Northumberland.
Between October 2023 and April 2024, Mortal Fools worked with two groups of young people in the Northumberland area to deliver a series of creative activities using nature-based themes and source material.
The aim of both projects was to explore their thoughts, ideas, feelings and experiences of nature in their area and in their lives as young people. Creative activities such as drama exercises, collage & zine making, creative writing and sound design were used to explore ideas and interests, whilst also contributing to boosting wellbeing.
Participants created nature-based collage, imaginary maps, zines and soundscapes expressing their experiences of real and fantasy outdoors spaces, using exploration of the actual outdoors to record Foley-based sound effects.
In Autumn 2023, Mortal Fools’ Creative Mondays Youth Sessions at YMCA Northumberland welcomed nine participants to a programme of free, bookable open-access sessions of freeform creative activities supporting wellbeing and self-expression.
From January to March 2024, Mortal Fools delivered a 12-week creative intervention programme at NCEA Duke’s Secondary School in Ashington with a group of 13 young people with intersectional needs such as neurodivergence, social emotional & mental health and family circumstances. Participants achieved an Explore Arts Award qualification as part of the programme, which was nature-based and included an outdoor creative session, a devised audio piece and a showcase event in school with other young people and staff.
The NCEA Duke’s project culminated in a creative showcase, where 40 teachers, youth workers, friends of participants and Natural England were invited to come and see what participants had worked on and experience the four theatre audio installations created using silent disco headphones.
Gem Kilbride, Health and Environment Lead Adviser North East, explained:
“The sound installations took me back to my childhood and the positive elements came out; feeling reminded of being carefree, being able to live in the moment and reminded of the therapeutic beauty of nature and the environment. The sharing event was professional, heartfelt and true to the roots of the North East.”
Across both projects, 22 young people were engaged, with 13 Explore Arts Awards achieved. Data gathered throughout the project showed that the young people who participated in the programmes experienced a sense of increased confidence and feeling valued and listened to, improved friendships, social interaction, and trust with others, better self-management of emotions and emotional regulation. They also displayed an improved ability to speak in front of people and express their ideas, opportunities to talk to people about their interests and have new creative experiences to help them express themselves.
Natalie Cain, Head of Alternative Provision at NCEA Duke’s Secondary School, said:
“Our students have thrived during this project, the natural beauty of our surroundings have been brought into the classroom and enabled the students to connect learning and our local natural spaces.
“Students have thoroughly enjoyed working with Mortal Fools practitioners and with their expert guidance and support from Natural England they have been able to create a piece of work to be proud of!”
Helen Ferguson, Creative Producer at Mortal Fools, commented:
“The Natural England funded project provided an interesting and invigorating theme for our creative intervention project with young people at Duke’s Secondary School. Combining nature and outdoor themed activities with Mortal Fools’ creative devising process meant that the group experienced a range of participatory creative experiences and felt empowered to express their thoughts and lived experiences in a range of creative ways.
“Through the project, we learnt a lot about the young people’s lives, the things they care about and what is special to them about their local area; these are insights we wouldn’t have had without this Natural England funded project.
“The collaboration with Natural England is a great example of two different organisations inspiring one another’s work, working together with a shared objective of supporting children and young people whilst seeking to understand their lived experience and through the process, high quality, inclusive projects can unfold with creative outputs showcasing young people’s voices and experiences. The project was also a testament to the power of creativity as a tool to draw out insights and contributions from young people, who may normally not share their thoughts or engage.
“It’s been a pleasure to work with the team at Natural England and after seeing the benefits of integrating the outdoors into our work supporting children and young people with intersectional needs, we are looking forward to doing more!”
Christine Venus, Natural England’s Deputy Director for Northumbria, added:
“We are delighted to have been working with Mortal Fools on this project. Once again, we see how nature-based activities are a powerful force for improving physical and mental wellbeing, and for building confidence. We will continue doing everything we can to make the natural world more accessible for all.”