Thriving Through Culture
Working in partnership with the GLA and Baring Foundation, Thriving through Culture, a mental health programme for children and young people was delivered from 2021 – 2024.
Working in partnership with the GLA and Baring Foundation, Thriving through Culture, a mental health programme for children and young people was delivered from 2021 – 2024.
Wellbeing 
Young Londoners 
Campaign
Updated: 12/06/2024
A short video which includes Thriving through Culture resources
Introduction
Thriving through Culture: Introduction
Thriving through Culture was a multi-year partnership with the Mayor’s Culture Team, Thrive LDN and Baring Foundation designed to support children and young people experiencing mental health issues through art and cultural activities. The aims of the programme were to:
- raise awareness of the impact of the arts on children and young people’s mental health
- raise awareness of groups providing support for children and young people
- understand London’s culture and mental health programmes and share these with our stakeholders (for example schools, link workers, youth services and many others)
- create a resource to support children and young people experiencing mental health issues.
The programme was supported by an Advisory Group to help steer the work and provide constructive feedback. The group included members with a combination of professional and lived experience of mental health needs in this area plus representatives from the GLA.
You can find all the resources from the programme on this page.
Download the Thriving through Culture evaluation.
A short video recapping the initiative’s three young Londoner festivals: Never Alone LDN (2021), Access All Areas (2022) and Rewire (2024).
Year 1 (2021)
Never Alone LDN
Thrive LDN and the Mayor’s Peer Outreach Team hosted a series of young Londoner-led events to mark World Mental Health.
Never Alone LDN took place at Rich Mix and looked at how young Londoners can come together to overcome challenges as well as reflecting on the loss and experiences of young Londoners over the course of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Never Alone LDN - Podcast
Never Alone LDN - Conversations
Poet RS
Lynn
Precious
Kismet
Glyn
Never Alone LDN - Reflections
Never Alone LDN - Highlights
Year 2 (2022)
A Manifesto for 2.8 Million Minds, Lewisham’s Liberty Festival and Access All Areas
A Manifesto for 2.8 Million Minds
In May 2022, three groups of young people from Haringey and Tower Hamlets presented their manifesto for young Londoners, A Manifesto for 2.8 Million Minds, to the Houses of Parliament.
Reflecting on their own experiences, facilitated by artists Becky, Yomi, Tyreis and Simon as well as partners Madlove, Chisenhale Gallery and Bernie Grant Arts Centre, they have highlighted the need and potential for art and culture to transform young people’s mental health structures.
Lewisham's Liberty Festival
In July 2022, a public launch of A Manifesto for 2.8 Million Minds took place as part of the Lewisham Borough of Culture’s Liberty Festival.
This was followed by a network for A Manifesto for 2.8 Million Minds and planning session. This brought together partners from across the arts, culture, health and care and members of the public.
London Borough of Culture 2022 – Lewisham | London City Hall
Access All Areas
The young-Londoner festival titled Access All Areas was all about ensuring young Londoners have better access to information and services, regardless of their background or lived experience.
Access All Areas took place at City Hall on World Mental Health Day 2022 and included interactive workshops, performances, panel conversations, creative art installations and a wellbeing marketplace.
Young producers
Access All Areas was designed by young Londoners themselves to be a day full of opportunities for young people to come together, share experiences, and gain new skills to improve resilience in an entertaining way.
The young producers who created the programme created a Festival Zine (cover below). Emma and Olade were also interviewed by BBC London about their experiences of creating such an event and what it meant to them.
Access All Areas - Conversations
How I manage my Mental Health Panel Discussion
Community Approaches to Managing my Mental Health Panel Discussion
Decision Makers: Lifting the Lid Panel Discussion
Access All Areas - Performances
Tyreis Holder
Paradox
Anu
Hasna
Faith
Year 3 (2023)
A Manifesto for 2.8 Million Minds First Network Meeting at Southbank Centre, National Theatre, and Whitechapel Gallery
At the Southbank Centre
In February 2023, the creation of a network brought together partners from across arts, culture and health and care systems to the Southbank Centre. In the first meeting, we explored the following questions:
- How can we work together to support young people’s mental health through art?
- What different ways are young people, artists, health professionals and everyone else using art for mental health?
- What can we teach each other?
At the National Youth Theatre
In May 2023, the network meeting at the National Youth Theatre focused on:
- Young people’s adverse experiences of mental health services
- Network-making
- Sharing interests and queries about the project
Thrive LDN caught up with Drashti Shah who co-facilitated the A Manifesto for 2.8 Million Minds network meeting at the National Youth Theatre and later joined the Advisory Group for Rewire Summit. Read Drashti’s blog about her reflections and experiences of being involved in the initiative and why she feels co-developing events with young people is important.
Should we fix something that never really worked? at Whitechapel Gallery
In August 2023, 30 young people from Tower Hamlets came together at Whitechapel Gallery to re-imagine what a London-wide programme of art for mental health could be like if it was organised by and for young people (but without the stress).
The sharing event explored ideas of rage, love and mutual care around young people’s mental health through song, words, meditation, rants, films and an 8-metre doodle. Download the Zine.
Year 4 (2024)
Rewire Summit and a Schools Manifesto
Rewire Summit
In February 2024, as part of the London Borough of Culture programme in Croydon, Boundless Theatre in partnership with Stanley Arts, the Mayor’s Culture Team, Thrive LDN and Baring Foundation developed a two day festival for young Londoners and stakeholders to influence change in youth mental health conversations.
Curated by a committee of young people, the Rewire Summit was informed by youth-led discussions and ideas.
Read young Londoner, Mark Garcia’s blog on his experiences from attending the Rewire Summit.
Download a policy readout of the Rewire Summit that was developed for London’s public health community.
What Can Be Improved?
Local Mental Health Support
Creativity and Mental Health
Awareness Of Services
TikTok: What changes would you like to see in your local area?
@thriveldn i asked a few friends at the #RewireSummit about the changes they’d like to see in their local area, and heres what they said! What changes would you like to see for your local area? Let us know! 🩵🩷 #Rewire #ThriveLDN #FYP #LondonEvent #Conversations #MentalHealth #MentalHealthAwareness #FreeEvent #Croydon #Youth #Creative #Creativity #Arts #YouthMentalHealth
TikTok: How could we support social connections between young people?
@thriveldn at the #RewireSummit I asked attendees how we could support social connections between young people, and here is what they had to say! let us hear your voice in the comments!🩷🩵 #ThriveLDN #London #MentalHealth #Creativity #Event #FYP #Art #Croydon #Youth #YouthMentalHealth #StanleyArts #YoungPeople #MentalHealthAwareness #ArtsAndCrafts #FreeEvent @Thrive LDN @Thrive LDN
How do young people use creativity to manage their mental wellbeing?
@thriveldn how do young people use creativity to manage their mental wellbeing? i asked attendees of the #RewireSummit their thoughts and i’d love to know your own!!!🩵🩷 #ThriveLDN #London #MentalHealth #Creativity #Event #FYP #Art #Croydon #Youth #YouthMentalHealth #Creativity #StanleyArts #YoungPeople #MentalHealthAwareness #ArtsAndCrafts @Thrive LDN @Thrive LDN @Thrive LDN
Schools Manifesto
Stemming from the Thriving through Culture A Manifesto for 2.8 Million Minds, the Schools Manifesto briefly gauges the current situation around mental health provision in schools, amongst students and in conversation with staff.
What measures are effective to enhance student wellbeing, and which negatively impact the mental health of young people in a school setting.
