Oliver’s story – Building confidence and inspiring others through youth social action

Independent Arts, an Isle of Wight based arts charity, received a grant from the SNG #iwill Fund to deliver our Wellbeing Champions Programme. This is designed to upskill young people aged 10-20 to learn tools to look after their own mental health and wellbeing, support their peers, and work as advocates in their local community through designing and leading on their own youth social action project. 

Independent Arts’ ‘Wellbeing Through Arts’ Project received £9,943 to support young people to collaboratively create artwork that creates natural conversations and discussions around mental health, wellbeing and youth social action.

One of the Wellbeing Champions engaged in this project was 12-year-old Oliver.  

He started off as incredibly shy, but his artistic talent became immediately apparent as he quietly got stuck into the exploration element of the Arts Lab, a weekly group set up as part of the project. Oliver got involved in making window displays and engaging passers-by for the local ‘Biosphere Festival, celebrating the Isle of Wight’s UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Status.  

As part of the Arts Lab Exhibition for the public, Oliver was inspired by the work of Matisse and created his own arts piece with figures that depicted different emotions. His work also contributed to broader conversations within the Arts Lab about mental health and emotional wellbeing.

Since taking part in the project, Oliver’s mental health and confidence visibly increased. His willingness to share his ideas and participate more openly has also encouraged others to do the same. 

He contributed towards the group decision to focus their youth social action project around keeping the Island’s beaches clean of litter and saving our oceans.

Oliver is just one of 3,270 young people we’ve supported through the SNG #iwill Fund. Of those, 826 were completely new to it - yet by the end of their projects, 740 said they wanted to keep going, and in doing so, help others.

Given its impact on empowering young people and encouraging them to be voices of change, Independent Arts is also looking at ways they can make the Arts Lab a sustainable project which can continue beyond the lifetime of the Wellbeing Champions Programme – giving more young people the chance to champion change and causes close to their heart. 

This outcome showcases the power of young people living in the communities where SNG operates and their ability to drive change.

The SNG #iwill Fund is made possible thanks to a £66 million joined investment from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, and The National Lottery Community Fund to create opportunities for young people to get involved in youth social action and positively influence their communities and futures. SNG is acting as a match funder and awarding grants on behalf of the #iwill Fund. 

Want to get involved in the SNG #iwill Fund and make a difference in your community? Head to our webpage to find out more.