Young people experienced arts and culture in Szczecin

From April to June 2024, 15 young people aged 16-25 had the possibility to dive into a rich programme of arts and cultural activities with the aim to improve their mental well-being and to temporarily escape from the struggles of their everyday life.

The Arts on Prescription pilot programme in Szczecin, organised by the project partner Media Dizajn in the frame of the Interreg BSR project Arts on Prescription in the Baltic Sea Region, began with an information campaign. An info press distributed to local schools, universities, NGOs, cultural institutions, the local press and media as well as newsletter posts of Media Dizajn and the Szczecin City Council were used to spread the word about the pilot programme. In a second step, information about the recruitment of participants was published on Facebook, Instagram and the website of Media Dizajn and the INKU Creative Sectors Incubator.

Interested person had the possibility to contact the programme coordinator and refer themselves as potential candidates to participate in this eight-week-programme. This kind of self-referral has been applied already in the 1st piloting round in Szczecin with positive experience. Subsequently, a link worker at Media Dizajn selected 15 candidates after informing about the conditions of engagement and the programme prepared in a personal interview.

A familarisation workshop on 4 April 2024 with all selected participants was used to learn more about the idea of the Arts on Prescription programme, to inform in more detail about the accompanying evaluation, and to jointly decide on study visits being part of the programme.

In the following weeks, participants engaged twice a week (2 hours per session) in a variety of artistic and cultural activities to support their creativity and well-being. The activities were led by trained art facilitators from the Academy of Art in Szczecin and cultural animators, with whom Media Dizajn also collaborated during the first pilot cycle in 2023.  While workshops, such as classes in improvisation, creative painting and crafts, were held at the INKU Creative Sectors Incubator, two study visits were organised to the Maritime Science Center and Radio Szczecin.

 

The participants did not have to have any previous artistic knowledge. Rather, they should feel for themselves what interests them and what gives them a break from everyday life, without being judged by anyone. “I have noticed that it is very important for these young people that they are not alone in their worries. They find that others feel the same way, have similar problems. They no longer feel different or alone. Taking part in the workshops gives them relive, but also helps them find a new way of life, with a place for art”, says Magda Roman, link worker at Media Dizajn.

 

At the end of the programme, all participants once more came together to a summary meeting, reflecting on their experiences from previous weeks, their feelings, learnings and take aways.

Voices/Impressions from participants:

“Art on Prescription helped me to flow with my emotionality”​

“AoP has helped me accept that not everything has to be done perfectly”​

“Definitely Art on Prescription has helped me in my self-development and taught me patience”​

“ Thanks to the classes, my wellbeing is even better”​

“Art on Prescription motivated me to actively express my emotions in a creative way”​

“This project allows you to stop and calm down and temporarily escape from this overstimulated world”​

The following arts and cultural activities were provided:

 

 

Improvisation classes – open participants to emotions and to the unknown allowing to jump outside your comfort zone. Participants can learn to be in this particular moment, without wondering what will happen next, or what was happening before.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pouring – is one method of creating paintings. The paint is spread over the canvas by spilling it properly. It gets its fluidity when mixed with a suitable milky liquid called “pouring medium”. During the workshop participants have the opportunity to create their own creative and multicoloured masterpieces.

 

 

 

 

 

 

ZINES – The workshop is a great way to reorganize your inner chaos and express your creativity. Zines are not only a tool for organizing your thoughts, but also a great opportunity to express yourself and connect with other creatives. Using your inner chaos to create something new.

 

 

 

 

 

Cotton bag production – each participant has the opportunity to create a graphic on a cotton bag. With the help of colours, the bag can gain a whole new life, and reflect the character of the user. During the workshop the participants can decide whether they want to colour their bag on their own or to use templates. This makes the workshop an option for anyone who wants to create something unique.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Natural cosmetics – participants learn how to make natural cosmetics at home.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Creative painting of emotions – The workshop is a proposal to create a creative work of art using painter’s tape and paint to depict own feelings. With painter’s tape, the workshop allows you to create your own original work, without the need for skills in the field of fine arts. This workshop is nothing more than a fun and creative way to search for one’s own emotions, through colours and shapes, and try to transfer them to the canvas.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Decoupage workshop – During the workshop, participants learn what the decoupage technique is and everyone make their own individual and creative work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Create your puzzles – This workshop is a great option for puzzle lovers! Each participant creates their own set of puzzles. The decision on the design and its level of difficulty is up to the person creating it. The workshop itself provides extraordinary pleasure in creating the graphics of your puzzles, plus it is a work that you can return to again and again while assembling them yourself.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Candle making workshops – During the workshop, each participant make their own individual and creative soy candles.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Floral compositions – participants create flowerpot compositions and then paint their pots.