ABOUT
Made with Care provides resources, mentorship and opportunities for those with experience of kinship, foster or residential care to try new things, develop their creativity, learn enterprise skills and get to where they want to go.
The Made with Care range of products and artwork celebrates the creativity of these individuals who are supported by Articulate Cultural Trust. Income from the Made with Care range is shared with the enterprising young people involved in their creation and promotion, as well as being fed back into the project to support future opportunities.
OUR STORY
Made with Care began life in 2019, conceived by a group of young people at Articulate Cultural Trust as a project where they could create, learn, make, showcase and sell artistic work.
The Made with Care product range has been devised to celebrate the unique artwork of creative individuals with experience of kinship, foster or residential care who are supported by Articulate Cultural Trust. The Made with Care website offers a platform to sell their work, and the development stream for individuals provides training and support to explore creativity and enterprise interests.
The Made with Care development stream supports individuals at various stages of their creative practice and enterprise journeys, from trying out new creative mediums, to selling at market events or developing their own businesses.
Made with Care provides creative taster workshops in arts, crafts and batch production processes, exhibition space for artwork and events, supports trading and market opportunities, connections to retailers and future clients, creative mentorship and access to space, training and resources.
Creative mark-making and marbling outcomes showcased in the core Made with Care range are inspired by these key activities at Articulate which offer a fun, supportive group environment where busy hands make quiet minds and participants can experiment freely and enjoy these joyous forms of colourful instantaneous creative expression.
Artworks created during these sessions are turned into products for purchase in collaboration with the young people, using small batch sustainable suppliers based in Scotland and the UK.
Profits from sales through Made with Care are shared between their young creators and the Made with Care development stream to contribute towards the continuation of provision of future creative opportunities and support for those with experience of care.
WHY?
In 2019, a cohort of young people at Articulate wanted a platform to elevate and share their creative accomplishments. A programme of workshops was created to support the development of ideas and creation of bespoke designed products.
These included cushions, bags, homewares and bespoke fabric patterns and designs…and the creative brand Made with Care was born!
Year on year, new faces join in with Made with Care activities and take part in the creative enterprise development stream. The young people engaging with Made with Care remain at the heart of its direction and decision making for its future.
...and why you should care
Through Articulate Cultural Trust and Made with Care, young people with experience of care gain access to new creative experiences, mentors, practical resources, emotional support and opportunities they may otherwise miss out on.
Creative engagement can be used as an effective tool for social change and to assure positive outcomes for marginalised young people. The Made with Care project is designed to take the creative talents of these young people and develop their innate entrepreneurial spirit to furnish them with the skills to navigate a career in the creative industries.
The young people Articulate works with often come from challenging backgrounds or communities, they are at higher risk of suffering from mental illness or poor health, with self-harm and suicide rates amongst care experienced young people much higher than those without experience in care. Creativity, for our young people, is therapeutic; allowing them to acquire skills, gain confidence and build self-esteem.
Creativity and Confidence
‘Being creative makes me happy and makes me feel worthwhile, having self-worth is something I’ve always struggled with and doing things that I love really helps keep my mood level and prevents me having too many dips’ Shannon McGeachan Made with Care young maker.
A recent pop-up event showcased the products of young people and supported them to sell their products. One young maker who was showcased in this event spoke of the immense confidence she felt after having her products displayed and sold. ‘Being able to earn money from my creativity is great but what’s more valuable to me is the confidence it gives me when someone buys something I have made.’ - Made with Care young maker.
As a result of participating in the project young people are more creatively aware, more confident and better connected to their peers and their culture. We talk critically about art and practically about working in the creative industries, young people are in control of their journey and how far they want to take their interests and talents.
‘This is a project that you will not see a lot. The fact that it primarily supports care experienced young people is pretty unique. We are often quite far removed from the centre of things.’ Nicole Sim, Made with Care young creative.