Liverpool charities collaborate on new animation to help support youth mental health

Alder Hey Children’s Charity has teamed up with disability arts charity DaDa to present Alder Experiences, an inspiring animation created by young artists with lived experiences of Alder Hey Children’s Hospital.

Launched this week at a special premiere screening at the hospital, Alder Experiences reflects both the reality and fantasy of a day in the life at Alder Hey.

The project commissioned by disability arts charity DaDa working with Alder Hey offered children receiving care at the hospital opportunity to work with disabled-led Liverpool film company, Twin Vision, to create an animated film.

The animation documented realistic features of a child’s experience of visiting the hospital, along with elements of fantasy to allow the young animators an opportunity to get creative. 

Young people worked with the animation company both one on one and in groups to learn different animation techniques and to create characters to feature in the final edit.

Parents of one participant described the impact of the project on their daughter’s mental health saying:

“The art has helped her again with her mental health. It’s given her that focus, something to focus on when she gets really overwhelmed quite quickly.”

“I think when she did this, that she was really nervous, didn’t really want to do it, wasn’t sure.  But it was the idea of working one to one with an artist that sold it for her. It’s just given her the validation that she was good at something.”

“It’s encouraged her now to the extent where she’s now at college and she’s got a quite sizable group of friends, more like minded artists.  And it really is, it’s amazing.”

“If you’re offered the opportunity for something like this, take it because it is amazing. And you can see the vast difference. It’s just a different child.”

The partnership between DaDa and Alder Hey began as a three year social prescribing project back in 2018 connecting artists with young outpatients to offer 1:1 sessions supporting artist development, and has continued to grow from there.

Thanks to funding from Liverpool City Council, Arts Council England backed DaDa were able to work with Alder Hey to expand on the partnership and support more young people to improve their mental health and wellbeing through creative practice. 

At a public screening in Alder Hey waiting rooms and streaming on patient televisions, the Alder Experiences animation was launched this week showcasing the brilliant art produced by the young people.

DaDa Executive Producer Rachel Rogers said:

“Our ongoing partnership with Alder Hey is something we are immensely proud of. DaDa is about creating equity within the arts, particularly empowering disabled artists to explore creativity, develop their practice and produce quality art, and this project has provided space for us to work with young people who wouldn’t have opportunities to develop their craft in this way.

“Through Alder Experiences we have seen young people start to see themselves as credible artists which has in turn begun to improve their mental wellbeing.

“Through working with Twin Vision, the Alder Hey team and Producer Katie O’Callaghan who have a shared understanding of creating accessible art projects, we have been able to develop an inclusive project that has culminated in the production of a brilliant piece of animation.”

Vicky Charnock, Arts for Health Manager at Alder Hey, said:

“We are delighted to have once again collaborated with DaDa on this innovative and patient-led programme. This programme has reached long term patients, who have to spend many weeks in hospital, as well young people accessing our mental health services.

“We have confidence and self-esteem improve through participation, as well as young people having the opportunity to develop animation and film making skills for the first time. This has provided much needed distraction for medical treatment and been a positive step in the young people’s recovery.”

Through the project over 20 young people have taken part in workshops and one to one training. 

The animation along with an interview with one of the participants and their family can be viewed over on the DaDa website here.

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