About
Our Creative Wellbeing programme strives to improve individual and collective health. It is informed by a continually evolving understanding of how:
-
disadvantage, social (and digital) exclusion can impact on the mental health of young people, families and communities
-
alternative creative supports can support positive mental well-being and reduce isolation in the everyday
-
new ideas like self-directed care and social prescribing combine for a more positive and inclusive future.
“I am here just to socialise… I had a bad day and feel better.”
The difference we would like to help make
-
Self: Supporting improved physical, mental, and social wellbeing, greater self-awareness and understanding of personal story, deeper connections and healthy relationships, and empowerment to develop strategies for self-directed care and long-term wellness.
-
Sector: Promotion and diffusion of specialist practice across the field and the strengthening of peer networks and practitioner connectivity.
-
Systems: Strategic collaboration to influence policy and practice, including work with Mhor Collective, Glasgow City Council (GCC), Social Work training and Education Scotland probationer teacher CPD.
-
Society: Stronger community cohesion and representation, with partners commissioning creative approaches to community voice that articulate the value and values of care experienced young people—e.g. participatory programmes with East Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP), Aberlour, SCRA’s Our Hearing’s Our Voice, Barnardo's, and others.
“I pushed myself to try… I learned new skills to cope with anxiety and high energy.”
"I discovered I’m brave and I don’t need to worry as much as I do"
The Creative Wellbeing Model
Our Creative Wellbeing Model provides wrap-around support through therapeutic art-making, playful expression, and creative development. It is mapped to Maslow’s hierarchy of need and grounded in the principle that we must be well to do well.
By prioritising safety, connection, and emotional regulation, the model builds the foundations required for positive progression. Creative practice is used to strengthen agency and inner resilience, foster meaningful relationships, and build the confidence and capability needed to engage with learning, work, and the wider world.
Our model positions creative wellbeing as a core, enabling condition for sustained participation, growth, and long-term positive outcomes for young people.
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs recognises that when physiological and safety needs are unmet this can cause psychological instability. However the more solid theses foundational elements become, the more prepared we become for challenges ahead. We are able to cope with challenges and overcome barriers to move beyond self-actualisation into self-transcendence.
Maslow’s theory is that transcending the self and having a broader sense of purpose and connection to others, is the peak of human experience. At Articulate, we know this is when young people are ready to take the next steps on their creative journeys.
