Inequalities, Surviving Stroke, the Arts and so much more...

Inequalities, the Arts and Public Health: Towards an International Conversation 

Some of you may have heard me give a presentation last year called - State of the Arts - not content with letting this work fester in the minds of those people who did, (and with the critical co-authorship of my compadre Mike White) an intelligible reworking is now available to those with refined sensibilities in that most august of publications, Arts & Health: An International Journal for Research, Policy and Practice.

The paper considers how participatory arts informed by thinking in public health can play a significant part internationally in addressing inequalities in health. It looks beyond national overviews of arts and health to consider what would make for meaningful international practice, citing recent initiatives of national networks in English-speaking countries and examples of influential developments in South America and the European Union. In the context of public health thinking on inequalities and social justice, the paper posits what would make for good practice and appropriate research that impacts on policy. As the arts and health movement gathers momentum, the paper urges the arts to describe their potency in the policy-making arena in the most compelling ways to articulate their social, economic and cultural values. In the process, it identifies the reflexive consideration of participatory practice – involving people routinely marginalised from decision-making processes – as a possible avenue into this work.

To access the journal, click on the lovely green patch of grass above. If you want to ask anything at all about this paper, please don’t hesitate to get in touch! Following the public health focused, Invest to Save: Arts in Health Research Project (2003 - 2007) and since my keynote (The Arts, Popular Culture and Inequalities) at the first international conference in Port Macquarie in 2009, I have been continually developing my thinking around inequalities, culture and the arts. I hope to bring some of this work full-circle this November in a new piece of work, FICTION/NON-FICTION.  

Art and poetry help Mancunian stroke survivors in their recovery

Here in the North West, the Stroke Association has been ploughing the furrow with some great arts based practice. Poet Laureate of the North, Mike Garry, best known for his poems ‘God is a Manc’ has been running a series of poetry workshops with stroke survivors in Greater Manchester aiming to create poetry that reflects their lives and experiences, giving them a platform to share their stories. You can see a short video about this below. Meanwhile students from MMU Design Lab teamed up with people affected by stroke and with Hyper Island’s Jim Ralley to produce a billboard poster for the curated Print and Paste site in central Manchester.

The students took the insights from the session and worked up this clever design in a couple of weeks. Katie Lea was one of the students: “After a four hour discussion with stroke survivors, we came away with a clear direction - life after stroke, particularly seeing things differently. We wanted to create an optical illusion, which draws people in and illustrates this shift in perspective. The poster wording ‘things were right, now they’re left’ also addresses the fact that a stroke in the left side of the brain can affect the right side of the body, and vice versa.”

You can see the poster on Chester Street (just off Oxford Road) up until the end of September. To see a little of the work with Mike Garry, click on the video below.

A stroke is a brain attack which happens when the blood supply to the brain is cut off, caused by a clot or bleeding in the brain. There are around 152,000 strokes every year in the UK and it is the largest cause of complex disability in adults. There are over 1.1 million people in UK living with the effects of stroke. For more information about local stroke services and groups, email northwest@stroke.org.uk or call the stroke helpline on 0303 303 3100.

 11 August 13

Funding for Organisations Tackling Violence Against Women & Children

The European Commission has launched a new call for proposals under the Daphne III Programme 2007 - 13. The overall aim of Daphne III is to contribute to the protection of children, young people and women against all forms of violence including sexual exploitation and trafficking in human beings. The total amount of funding available is €11,404,000.  The EU will finance up to 80% of eligible project costs.  There is no maximum level of grant that can be applied for; however, the minimum grant that can be applied for is €75,000. The closing date for applications is the 30th October 2013. Read more at: http://ec.europa.eu/justice/grants/programmes/daphne/

Hilton in the Community Foundation Grants

Organisations that work with young people have the opportunity to apply for grants through the Hilton Foundation. Organisations such as charities and other not for profit organisations can apply for grants ranging from a few hundred pounds up to £30,000 per year for up to 2 years that meet one of the Foundation's chosen areas of focus, these are:

· Disabled children

· Children in hospital

· Homelessness

· Life-limited children in hospices. 

The next closing date for applications is the 15th October 2013. Read more at:https://www.hilton-foundation.org.uk/apply.html

...and finally, Claire Ford, (who some of you will have seen present her work at networking events) is undertaking some brilliant work connecting people affected by dementia with iPad’s and as part of her iPad engAGE project, is moving on to a second phase. To read more about her work and if you’re feeling generous, support her work, click on the image above.

...and for the sheer hell of it...

Thank you for passing by...C.P.