100% Digital Leeds are looking for arts and culture organisations to submit activity for inclusion in digital arts and culture engagement programming aimed at Leeds care providers in celebration of Arts in Care Homes Day
We are looking to curate a week-long programme of activity taking place between Saturday 24th September (Arts in Care Homes Day) and Saturday 1st October (International Day of Older People), including free interactive workshops in art forms such as song and dance, and performances from arts organisations across the city. Care providers will engage with the programming remotely via digital platforms such as Zoom, Teams, and YouTube. The programme may also include sessions delivered in care settings, but including a digital element.
The project aims to support care providers to bring more arts and culture activity into their settings by engaging remotely via digital, and to develop staff digital skills and confidence. It is hoped that arts and culture organisations will be supported to reach new audiences in care settings, expand their care setting offer, and to form lasting partnerships with care providers.
The programme is already looking exciting, with support from key arts organisations working across the city such as Yorkshire Dance, Opera North, and Ascendance. The final timetable of events will be available for booking by care providers in late summer.
Arts and culture organisations can submit their activities for inclusion in the programme by completing this form by Monday 1st August.
Care providers can request support to access the programme by completing this form at any time until Saturday 1st October
Project background
This project has been developed by a cross-sector steering group made up of people working across the public, cultural, wellbeing, and care sectors. The project is a result of the existing partnership between the Arts and Culture Digital Inclusion Network, Leeds Arts Health and Wellbeing Network, and Leeds Care Delivery Services, which saw development of a series of webinars bringing people together to explore how care settings can benefit from arts and culture online. Find out more about the work being done in Leeds with care settings and/or older people around arts, creativity and culture by reading the recent NAPA report, Arts and Culture in every care home?, celebrating the work of Leeds Arts Health and Wellbeing Network and their Creative Ageing Forum.
“Care home activities for residents have been an area that has particularly benefitted from the 100% Digital Leeds support, and it is enabling them to access a range of digital and virtual activities and improving health and wellbeing outcomes. This real, practical application of digital technology with the support of the team is helping to embed digital inclusion across the care sector in Leeds, with staff becoming more familiar and comfortable using digital technology which is a key step in the preparation for the move to even wider digitisation”
Richard Graham, Commissioning Programme Leader, LCC Care Quality Commission
Project launch
We launched the project on Friday 1st July with a 30-minute webinar which outlines the project, the benefits of partnership, and how organisations can get involved. The video features speakers from 100% Digital Leeds, NAPA, Leeds Arts Health and Wellbeing Network, Pyramid, arts@leeds, and Springfield Care.
We’re looking for arts and culture organisations to submit their events, activities, and performances to be included in the week-long programme. We’re looking for care providers to take up the opportunity of signing up to programme activities.
“Residents in care settings have embraced any opportunities to take part in creative and cultural opportunities. Feedback surveys indicate that people would love to have access to more activities generally and have been delighted when they have taken
Catherine, Leeds Care Delivery Service
part (whether through in-house support to take part in craft activities or interactive Zoom sessions with museums and galleries, libraries, dance organisations, poetry, theatre or other arts activities).”
How arts and culture organisations can take part in the programme
Offering activity via remote access gives arts organisations the opportunity to reach audiences who may find it difficult to access programming delivered in cultural venues due to their reliance on care, difficulty with mobility and, more recently, the need to shield during Covid. Visiting care settings to deliver workshops and performances comes with its own difficulties for arts organisations but Covid has made it near impossible.
Taking part in this programme is an opportunity for arts and culture organisations to develop their offer and trial new approaches for audiences such as older people, people living with dementia, people with learning disabilities, people planning end of life, and people with mental health needs. It is also an opportunity to forge lasting partnerships with care providers such as care homes, day services, supported living services, recovery hubs, hospitals, and hospices.
“During the pandemic we have supported people to write songs virtually, enabling us to reach people who are unable to meet us in person including people living anywhere in the UK. We continue to offer a weekly online singing group where we encourage people to relax and breathe as well as learning new skills and gaining confidence in singing. We are joined by people around the world who describe the group as helping them sleep better, feel less tense and generally improving their mood.”
Geraldine Montgomerie, Partnership Manager, The Swan Song Project
Arts organisations are invited to complete a short expression of interest form to submit activities like workshops or streamed performances to be included in the week-long programme. Details required include a session description, date and time, booking link, and what care providers need to participate. The form will be closed on Monday 1st August.
To be included in the programme activities should take place or be accessible between 24th September and 1st October and should be accessed remotely via digital platforms such Zoom, Teams, and YouTube. We will also accept submission of sessions delivered in care settings but including a digital element, however, face-to-face sessions are at risk of cancellation due to Covid.
To keep the programme as simple for care providers to engage with as possible events must be free at the point of access. We are not able to offer financial support but are happy to support any digital inclusion related funding bids. Organisations are welcome to submit suitable events and activities from existing programming, or pre-recorded content for streaming. We welcome taster sessions designed to showcase existing or future programming, or trial work with new audiences.
Support available to arts and culture organisations
This project has been shaped by the Arts and Culture Digital Inclusion Network and the support of 100% Digital Leeds and network members is available for artists and arts and culture organisations looking to develop their digital offer or adapt their work to be accessible and engaging for different audiences. There is a section on the expression of interest form to request support.
100% Digital Leeds will be publishing a series of blogs over the summer sharing learning and practical tips from Arts and Culture Digital Inclusion Network members and care homes on how to make digital sessions as engaging and accessible as possible. Keep a lookout for these on the 100% Digital Leeds blog.
How care providers can take part in the programme
Offering care providers such as care homes, day services, supported living, recovery hubs, hospitals, and hospices the opportunity to engage with remote arts and culture programming helps them to support the arts engagement of the people they care for and all of the wellbeing benefits that brings. The programme also provides a supportive space for staff to develop the digital skills and confidence needed to support the digital inclusion of residents and service users, opening up the use of digital tools and services to connect with family and friends, manage health and wellbeing, and live more independently.
Taking part in this programme is an opportunity for care providers to explore opportunities to bring more arts and culture into their activity programming and to form lasting partnerships with Leeds arts organisations.
The final timetable of events will be available for booking by care providers in late summer.
Care providers are invited to complete a short expression of interest form to be among the first to be notified when the timetable is released. Alternatively care providers are welcome to look out for the release of the final timetable via the 100% Digital Leeds blog.
Support available to care providers
This project has been shaped by Leeds Care Delivery Service and Springfield Care as part of 100% Digital Leeds’s work with care homes. Care providers are invited to complete a short expression of interest form to request support from 100% Digital Leeds to develop their digital inclusion offer or to engage with the Arts in Care Homes Day programme. Support could include supporting your staff to develop their digital skills and confidence, advice on equipment set up, help to dial into Zoom or Teams calls, or something similar. 100% Digital Leeds are happy to have a chat and see how we might be able to support you.
“Having the support of 100% Digital Leeds has been fantastic for our care homes. Not only support but also encouragement and excitement to use more digital resources in creative ways, that benefit not only residents’ connections with the community and their families, but digital inclusion also for staff, with training, increasing their motivation and confidence with digital resources. 100% Digital Leeds team are always available, approachable, open to suggestions, pro-active, bringing new ideas and we look forward to continue working together developing our digital inclusion offer, which is having such a positive impact for our care homes”
Iria Cunha, Wellbeing Development Manager, Springfield Care Villages
Summary of key information
- The programme of activities will run from Saturday 24th September to Saturday 1st October
- The final programme will be announced towards the end of August
- Arts and culture organisations can submit their activities for inclusion in the programme by completing this form by Monday 1st August.
- Care providers can request support to access the programme by completing this form at any time until Saturday 1st October
- For more information about this project or how you can support contact amy.hearn@leeds.gov.uk