Let’s Get Messy

Let’s Get Messy is our arts interventions project, which takes place with young people affected by adverse childhood experiences.

Through regular arts activity with industry professionals and an offsite trip or on-site experience, the purpose of the project is for young people to learn, make, watch, share and lead within the arts at a pace that is appropriate for them. They are also supported to complete a light-touch, nationally-recognised, portfolio-based qualification called the Arts Award.   

We believe that this combined activity improves wellbeing outcomes for young people, including those who are physically and/or mentally unwell, or experiencing disadvantage at home, by providing positive personal and social experiences.

Partners for 2025 include:

• Dibden Park School (part-funded by Culture in Common)
• Jubilee School

Our arts interventions project at Jubilee School spanned four days, with three days allocated for mural creation and one day assigned for Arts Award completion.

A small team of six students worked with Sarah Gaiger (People’s Front Room) to mix, brush, roll and spray paint onto two large feature walls within their playground.

Sarah’s designs responded to the brief given by the school, and included a skyline of local city Portsmouth (applied using custom stencils and non-toxic spray paint), and a large tree with impressive roots to represent the opening of their new Forest School ‘Jubilee Roots’. Students completed their Discover Arts Awards on the third day and then added final touches to the murals on the final day. These included their own stencil additions of butterflies, centipedes, ladybirds and frogs.

Assistant HeadTeacher and SENCO said of the project:

‘In a collaboration between Wakey Wakey Artsand the students of Jubilee School, a truly incredible art project came to life. The final piece is a testament to the students’ hard work and dedication, and it’s clear the activity held their attention for significantly longer than other school projects or lessons. Not only did they fully engage with the creative aspects, but they also took the written element seriously, working together as a team to support and help one another. The pride they feel in their efforts is visible, and the positive impact on the whole school community is immense. While these students often find it challenging to accept their own achievements, this project has allowed them to show great pride in themselves and their collective accomplishment.’

See below for a summary of the project and end results!

Time at Dibden Park School included four days’ worth of mural art workshops with Emily Wakefield (@scribbling.on.walls) to achieve a complete redecoration of the school’s reception area, and a trip to Southampton City Art Gallery and SeaCity Museum to visit the portraits exhibition, to create ‘clay heads’ in a private workshop, and to see the Southampton Stories exhibition.

Please read or download the activity report below:

‘I just wanted to say a massive thank you to you all, for your brilliant work last week! I think it was such an incredible achievement and something that the students will look back on with pride each time they enter the school 🙂 thank you all so much! Your art is inspiring and it really helps our school community’ – Anton Barnwell, Clinical Psychologist

‘Thank you so much for this! It’s been incredible to see the pride and sense of community that has burst out of this project. It’s exactly what we needed…I’m looking forward to you coming back <3’ – Jess Wrigley, Head Teacher

The partners for 2023 were:

• BCP Council’s Young Carers
• BCP Council’s Children in Care Council: UNITE
• NHS Mental Health Support Team in Schools
• Pebble Lodge Adolescent Inpatient Service
• Iford Academy

The interventions were shaped to suit the needs of the young people and the partner organisations, each varying in the frequency and timing of sessions, art form chosen, the design of the celebration ‘moment’ and the cultural trip destination.

See the Let’s Get Messy 2023 – Mini-Doc below for a round-up of the project during its first year:

The Let’s Get Messy Evaluation and Research Report – April-August 2023 is also available to read and download below:

Specific outcomes which came out of the 2023 project showed an improvement in social skills/confidence, self-esteem, technical skills, mental health, sense of self and engagement with education.

We also aimed to increase knowledge of arts education and careers among young people, and to support colleagues within the arts, health and youth industries with skills development/diversification.

The Let’s Get Messy project was supported in 2023 using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England, as well as Real Ideas Organisation’s Start Something fund.

We invite collaboration with artists and arts/health/youth organisations who would like to be involved in future iterations of the project. Please contact Claire on wakeywakeyarts@gmail.com for more information.