Sometimes you witness something that perfectly captures how amazing the future for social care could be, a moment when everything aligns and the power of co-production really shines. Such a moment occurred with Donna and her blanket at one of our Connect & Do sessions.
Connect & Do is a peer-led community arts and wellbeing programme. It’s free and open to everyone living in London, delivering around 50 workshops a month to over 200 participants.
Co-production is key
Connect & Do came about because people we support wanted to be active players in their communities. They wanted the opportunity to learn, develop and build social connections based on their interests, not their diagnoses.
We knew that there were an abundance of stakeholders and community organisations that were offering amazing resources and opportunities.
We knew cultural, structural and societal change was hard and takes time, but we also knew we had thousands of experts by experience with an abundance of sharable skills, and when the elements aligned, they could push for the changes we all need for a better social care future.
We knew co-production was going to be key.
How Connect & Do began
We began by securing small donations and grants to begin some grassroots projects and were able to let them grow organically. Peer support and co-production was – and will always be – at the heart of these projects. We also made them available to everyone in the community, regardless of whether or not they used social care.
These projects included:
- A community choir inspired by several failed attempts to match a man with learning disability to a choir in his local community
- A monthly gallery tour facilitated by a disabled artist called Andy Kee
- A 10-week arts course facilitated by four artists with lived experience of a learning disability and mental health support needs, in collaboration with Tate, Saatchi, Dulwich Picture Gallery, Block 336 and Slaughterhaus Art Studios
- A weekly ‘Art Mondays’ workshop in a community space where people drop in, create art, chat, have a cup of tea and get inspired
Co-production in action
We learned so much from these projects. People with lived experience were the driving force behind them and responded positively to being in groups that were more reflective of their communities.
The dynamic between ‘staff members’ and ‘participants’ began to shift as the sessions felt less like services. People naturally began playing more active roles, empowered by the opportunity to role model their behaviours to people that weren’t paid to be there, nor held more power than them.
Genuine friendships were formed between people who traditionally receive support and members of the wider community whose paths may never have crossed. It felt like we were all learning and developing something really special together.
No looking back
Thanks to funding from City Bridge Trust, the Connect & Do programme has grown to include art, craft, sewing, creative writing, music, drama, relaxation and gallery workshops. We’ve also published two books of peer facilitators’ worksheets and partnered with several arts organisations.
But back to Donna and her blanket.
Donna lives alone and is a regular at Connect & Do workshops. Her mother died a few months ago and she had shared how difficult it’s been for her.
Donna arrived at a sewing and craft workshop a few weeks ago carrying a large wool blanket that her mother had been working on at the time of her death. With the support of a peer facilitator, Donna sat down and shared stories with the group about her family. As she talked, she finished her mother’s blanket.
It was a simple moment, but that act spoke of healing, resilience, connection, community and, most importantly, doing it together.
