Caring for young minds project nets funding boost

Gallery Oldham and Library

Oldham libraries’ “Comics and Cosplay: Caring for Young Minds” project has been selected as one of 14 winning applicants to receive new ‘Engaging Libraries’ funding from the Carnegie UK Trust and the Wellcome Trust.

The funding aims to help local communities explore major health and wellbeing issues including stress, obesity, body image and even death in new and innovative ways.

The project will engage with young people through the arts to start conversations and enable exploration about mental health.

Oldham libraries will host a themed ‘Comic Con’ and a series of creative workshops, with theatre performances, comic art and the creation of a graphic novel, to bring together local youth, celebrating their creativity, and encouraging greater discussion and debate within the community.

Subnum Hariff-Khan, Library and Information Manager of Oldham Council Library Services, said: “This funding means we now have an opportunity to engage with local young people on important wellbeing issues and encourage greater discussion, all within the safety and familiarity of the local library.

“We hope this innovative and creative approach to discussing these issues will enable them to explore their own feelings and have the confidence to share with others.”

The one-year ‘Engaging Libraries’ programme is a £200,000 pilot to help the successful applicants use creative methods to bring people together, from ‘selfies’ and comic books to teddy bears, exploring ideas related to health and wellbeing.

The vision of the programme is to inspire curiosity, spark debate and create conversation by enabling local people to get involved in imaginative and interactive projects exploring various health and wellbeing topics on a national scale.

Martyn Evans, Chief Executive at the Carnegie UK Trust, said: “Public libraries are unique, trusted places at the heart of local communities.

“The Engaging Libraries programme gives libraries the opportunity to engage with the public on a range of complex health and wellbeing issues, providing a safe space for debate, discussion, interaction and learning.

“We were delighted to receive 120 thought provoking applications to the programme and we are very excited about the range and quality of the winning entries.

“We’re looking forward to seeing these projects come to fruition and we hope that they will be a source of inspiration and learning for the public library sector.”

The winning projects were selected with the input of an expert Advisory Group including representatives from the Society of Chief Librarians, CILIP The Library and Information Association, Arts Council England, Scottish Library and Information Council, Welsh Government, the Local Government Management Agency in the Republic of Ireland and Libraries NI.

As a result of the high standard of entries to take part in the programme, additional funding was provided by Wellcome to allow a further four projects to take part in the pilot initiative. All participating projects will be invited to be part of a new, national online network to share learning and best practice.