Press Release: Action Together awards one-year funding to TiPP for a mental health and wellbeing project for young people living in supported accommodation across Oldham.

Press Release: Action Together awards one-year funding to TiPP for a mental health and wellbeing project for young people living in supported accommodation across Oldham.

The Action Oldham Fund is supporting TiPP to deliver arts-based workshops to disadvantaged young people living in supported accommodation who are at risk of homelessness or are leaving the care system.

Young people accessing this type of accommodation face a range of challenges including poor mental health, a lack of positive and secure relationships and are often not in education, employment or training. 

Taking place in the communal areas of the accommodation, the creative sessions run by professional artists are designed to reduce social isolation and improve wellbeing of young people who face significant challenges in their lives. 

Workshops will provide young people the opportunity to explore their creativity and develop their talents, and will use the arts as a tool to support young people to develop better coping strategies, build resilience and increase confidence.

Young people taking part in the project will be supported by TiPP artists to create their own artwork, creative writing and performances, which will be displayed in exhibitions in their accommodation and at outdoor sites across Oldham. 

Throughout 2019 TiPP will offer pathways for young people accessing this project into volunteering and further opportunities in the creative sector through their ongoing mentoring programme. This will allow young people to move towards positive progression routes and allow them to engage further in their communities.

TiPP's Project Lead, Katie Charlton, said 'the emotional wellbeing and mental health of young people is a pressing issue that is often overlooked. It can be one of the key reasons young people do not engage in services or in employment or education. By providing young people with a safe space to express themselves and build their social networks, this project will be a vital stepping-stone for young people to better manage and cope with their situation.'