“Every time I get mad I draw or colour a picture because it makes me express what I feel. It makes me feel more like myself,” Neil, Castlebar, County Mayo
“Creative Kids” (available here on the RTÉ Player)demonstrates the powerful effect that creativity has on our youngest citizens. Over the period of several months cameras charted the introduction of the unique Scoileanna Ildánacha/Creative Schools programme into five different schools around the country.
It is well accepted that arts and cultural participation leads to a range of positive outcomes for children and young people – from personal wellbeing, emotional and skills development, through to positive attitudes towards school and learning.
We also know that schools play a vital role in providing opportunities for children to participate in arts and culture – so where better to start to start a new creative journey than in the classroom.
And what better way to support such a journey than by helping entire schools to embrace creativity – to place creativity at the centre of school life – in their own way, for their own benefit.
“If a child is happy and engaged and connected at school then their learning experience is going to be richer full stop” Sallie Ennis, Vice-Principal, Stepaside Educate Together, Dublin”
This is the thinking behind the Creative Schools initiative – a flagship of the Creative Ireland Programme’s Creative Youth Plan.
Since it started in September 2018, Creative Schools has supported 300 schools in their creative journeys. There is still plenty of time for your school to take part. Applications for round three of Creative Schools – which starts in September 2020 – can be submitted to the Arts Council up until 25th June 2020. Visit here for more details.
Creative Kids was commissioned by the Creative Ireland Programme and can be seen here on the RTÉ Player).
