In February 2024, the Creative Ireland Programme invited applications from Local Authorities for grant funding for projects supporting Health and Wellbeing through Creativity across 2024 and 2025. The call encouraged collaboration with neighbouring Local Authorities. 15 Creative Health and Wellbeing in the Community projects were successful. These include four all-island projects supported as part of the Shared Island Initiative, which will see Local Authorities work with partners in Northern Ireland. Over the coming weeks we will share a series of blogs from Creative Ireland, giving details of these exciting and important projects as they get underway.
Blog #1
Let’s Get Social DLR
Making creative connections and inspiring inclusivity across the county – Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council.
Let’s Get Social is an innovative framework that builds on DLR’s current health and wellbeing programmes. It will develop initiatives that combat social isolation for older people, migrants and those who are affected adversely by health challenges.
Activities will include an extension of the Creative Cafés programme, with the aim to deliver 62 across 2024 and 2025. Building on the successful partnership with Southside Partnership dlr’s Social Prescribing Team, the programme supports participants by connecting them socially with others and with DLR’s community and cultural spaces. In addition, a new series of bi-monthly alumni Creative Cafés will be developed over the two years.
The Creative Brainwaves talks/podcast series will also continue with nine events envisaged. Curated by the Global Brain Health Institute team, the series will explore how creative arts can improve brain health with contributions from neuroscientists, researchers and creative artists.
The Arts Office will also deliver capacity building professional development sessions. These will comprise bespoke workshops for creatives, healthcare professionals, and four pilot creative projects in healthcare/community settings that will engage with the older community, including those living with dementia.
Finally, two new performing arts clubs will be piloted and led by DLR’s Age Friendly Programme and Social Inclusion Unit. These will focus on those in active retirement and IPA/migrant communities. These workshops to be delivered by highly skilled arts professionals.
Through this ambitious programme, Let’s Get Social DLR will support participants to adopt healthy lifestyles and behaviours, enable positive ageing across the county, contribute to an improvement in participant’s mental and physical wellbeing through arts and culture, increase the number of experienced creatives/artists who work in healthcare and community contexts, and enable greater knowledge within the healthcare sector and wider public about the positive impacts of creativity for our ageing population.
