Our team can provide interactive workshops facilitating practical exercises and lively discussion around:
- the aims, benefits and practical challenges of intergenerational arts projects
- embedding anti-ageist approaches in your delivery, projects and programmes
- best practices when working with people living and working care settings
They have designed and delivered activities to deliver content to suit many different clients and situations. These might include:
- short workshops as part of conferences
- half or full day training sessions
- a series of workshops and mentoring support alongside artists running their own intergenerational project for the first time
Wellbeing Across the Life Course
There is now a substantial body of evidence showing that taking part in creative activities has a positive impact on health and wellbeing. Magic Me staff can provide interactive workshops, facilitating practical exercises and discussions to help organisations and individuals understand the aims, benefits and practical challenges of introducing an intergenerational approach that promotes wellbeing.
Our recent client Flourishing Lives said of our workshops:
“Magic Me’s training is a total inspiration. Their playful and imaginative approach to creating genuine intergenerational connections is refreshing, thought-provoking and has resonated throughout our whole working practice at Flourishing Lives.
We have directly incorporated our learnings from the session into the planning for our ‘re:GENERATION’ programme at Tate Exchange, and we have had overwhelming feedback from our coalition member organisations that the training has inspired them to rethink their whole strategy around working intergenerationally. Magic Me are a shining example of the relational approach and we highly recommend their training and workshops.”
David McDonagh, Flourishing Lives
Working with Older People and their families
Magic Me has experience working on projects that have a family focus bringing grandparents and grandchildren together to work creatively. A number of projects based in museums and heritage locations explored these relationships:
Grand Explorers at the V&A Museum of Childhood
This project brought together grandchildren with their grandparents to explore the collections of the museum and create art works which were then shared with the wider public. The project ran on an annual basis over a number of years. One grandfather said of it:
Many of the group from this project went on to take part in a project at the Tower Of London which explored the jewels and other precious objects at the Tower. These then provided inspiration for the group to create their own ‘heirlooms’.
At the Family Arts Conference Susan was part of a breakout session on ‘working with older people and families’.
Kate Hodson, Programme Director, worked with the Family Arts Campaign and ran a workshop for its Celebrating Age organisations.
Working with Students
We are keen to lay the foundations for a sustainable future for intergenerational practice by encouraging students in a variety of disciplines to consider intergenerational aspects when planning their own work.
We can also provide talks and workshops for student groups, recently Kate Hodson, Programme Director, delivered a workshop session to students studying community arts at East 15 Acting School
Working with Artists
The skill required to facilitate and run an intergenerational arts project is such that once mastered any other arts project will come easily! Magic Me has invested in working with artists to increase the range and diversity of talent we can call on to work on our projects. We ran a CPD for artists project and have regular ‘twilight’ sessions to hear from the artists we work with (as well as the formal evaluation and feedback on individual projects).
Our team can offer training days, seminars, workshops and one-to-one mentoring for artists.
Kate Hodson, our programme director recently spoke at Create Arts CPD day for artists.
Susan Langford mentored two artists on an intergenerational arts project in Rochford, Essex as part of the work commissioned by Creative Journey’s Essex.
Contact: Susan Langford on susanlangford@magicme.co.uk
Or call 020 3222 6064 if you would like to discuss any of the above.