Tuesday 28 Feb 2012, 1.30 – 4.30pm, Oakengates Theatre, Telford

The personalisation agenda in Social Care means that service users are being given their own personal budgets, effectively becoming individual commissioners. It is predicted that by April 2013, over a million people will have a personal budget.

The opening up of service provision means that artists now have the opportunity to develop and offer services that creatively meet the needs of individuals. This event offers an introduction to personalisation and how to prepare for this growing micro market.

Contributors will include Tony Nottingham, independent consultant and support broker working in the area of personal budgets.  Read more... (117 words, estimated 28 secs reading time)

Home is a bold, inventive new dance production that will move through the streets of Birmingham city centre as part of International Dance Festival Birmingham 2012. We are looking for 1000 individuals to contribute towards the creation of, and be involved in, the performances that will take place between 23 April & 13 May 2012.

This bold and ambitious project can only happen with the help of individuals and communities from the West Midlands and beyond! We’re looking for 1000 people who want to share their thoughts 
on home, identity and belonging to be part of this flagship project.  Read more... (213 words, 1 image, estimated 51 secs reading time)

Friday 27^th January 2012, 9.30am – 1pm

Birmingham City University, School of Art, Margaret Street, Birmingham

praXis is one of ten regional organisations that are working together to establish a new, National Alliance for arts and health. As part of this process, a series of events are taking place across England to develop a Charter that will set out the mutual values for those working in arts, health and wellbeing and embody the founding principles for a National Alliance.  Read more... (441 words, estimated 1:46 mins reading time)

A Visioning Day for all those wanting to explore creativity in relation to Dementia

Tuesday 4 October 2011

9.30am to 4.30pm

Oakengates Theatre @ The Place, Telford

The event is open to anyone who wants to have an impact in the way we think about Dementia. We are looking for Volunteers, Carers, Artists, Professionals, Practitioners and anyone with an interest in this field who is willing to explore creative ideas on the future of services in and around Telford. We will be working up a document which will explore creative opportunities for those living with dementia to participate and discuss creativity as a means of improving sense of wellbeing. The day will ensure all those attending have an impact in shaping future delivery around creativity and its capacity to enhance the wellbeing of people living with dementia and their family, carers in Telford and Wrekin. We are seeking a cross section of people to attend.  Read more... (181 words, estimated 43 secs reading time)

Gender Matters have received £306,931 from the Reaching Communities to continue to provide services within the West Midlands region.

The grant, awarded over three years, will ensure the continuation of the Gender Identity Centre, the focal point for many to gain an insight into their own gender identity. The Gender Matters Gender Identity Centre was established over three years ago to provide a focus for social activities and a pleasant environment that facilitates the teaching and learning process.

In addition the grant will also allow for others to gain an insight into the issues surrounding gender identity and gender dysphoria.

Kirsty Grimley is enquiring about Music, Dance, Drama and Play therapy with regards to ways to get into these careers and how to gain experience in the field.

She currently working as a mental health support worker in Warwickshire although lives in Coventry and wonders if you knew of anywhere locally where she could get experience of these therapies?

Kirsty’s really interested in all these areas and would like to see some of the sessions in action to gain a better insight.

Please contact Kirsty via email

Sarah-Jane Watkinson has recently joined the team at Praxis as Events Co-ordinator. She’ll be putting together a regular programme of Round Table and Insider Guide events over the rest of the year. She is also working with Creative Remedies to establish an artists network in Staffordshire.

If you have any suggestions for something you would like to see covered in a future event, please get in touch on sarah-jane@praxisartsandhealth.org.uk

Sarah-Jane has worked with a wide range of organisations such as Sampad, Women & Theatre and Sound It Out, varying from running a participatory arts and health project in Tipton to building giant ostriches at the Womad festival.

If you’re a health professional working with people with long-term conditions, this site will help you to find out about the profound affect that creative activities can have on people’s wellbeing as well as, in some cases, their condition and its symptoms. It will help you find:

• relevant, convincing, research and further information about long-term conditions and arts activities, as well as relevant arts and health initiatives
• creative activities near to your patients – voluntary arts groups who can provide a sustainable (and often free) route to creative wellbeing for people with long-term conditions. See the ‘About‘  page for more details.

Here’s an article on Guardian online site showing the work of Kin, an audio project based around interviews with mothers, fathers and their adult children which has been used to transform the mood in waiting rooms.

The work involved recording interviews with mothers, fathers and their adult children which “touches on issues of loss, guilt, love and memory as both generations find their roles and relationships beginning to shift.”

This is an interesting use of digital media in the healthcare setting and is an indicator of how the NHS are embracing digital media.  Read more... (133 words, estimated 32 secs reading time)

Health professionals can find out how creative activities can benefit people affected by long-term conditions, and locate local voluntary arts/creative groups on a new website: www.healthysocialcreative.org.uk

The site has been created by Voluntary Arts, to raise awareness of the wealth of creative activities that exist in local communities – from choirs to quilt-makers, dance groups to painting societies, drama groups to samba bands – and the health benefits of involvement in the arts.  Read more... (234 words, estimated 56 secs reading time)