People United

Thanks so much to Jackie and team!

Working with Mandy Quy-Verlander, People United's Community Producer, as part of their Radical Gifting Project, KCC Community Warden Jackie Worthington introduced a resident she has been working with to become a collaborator with one of their artists.

The first visit to the resident involved the artist chatting with them to find out what the coast and seaside meant to them and what memories and images this brought to mind. The artist brought along some artifacts they had collected from their recent trip to a local seaside, including a soundscape they had created of them walking along the beach and some seawater, kelp, stones, shells and a stick of rock. Whilst chatting and exploring the items, the resident was encouraged to share their own memories and ideas about what the coast and seaside means to them.

The artist noted down ideas the resident shared and then went away and created something which reflected that. This activity was also done with several other residents from different areas and backgrounds to create a box of various items which will allow those who are open them to experience the coast without having to actually go there.

As KCC Community Warden, Jackie Worthington played a part in the introduction of the artist to the resident, she was then approached to use one of her volunteer days to help decorate and pack the boxes with the various items created by the artists involved, ready to deliver to the residents they collaborated with among others who may be lonely, isolated or would benefit from this experience.

If you or somebody you know would like to find out more about Positive Wellbeing and the service we offer:
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📞 03000 422 065
✉️ [email protected]

Our statement on the ongoing anti-immigration violence:

"The ongoing violence and hateful anti-immigration action across the UK, and now in Kent, is abhorrent.

We work in partnership with communities and individuals who are being directly affected by these horrific acts and hostile discourse. Our work is driven by care and compassion which is in direct opposition to the recent events.

We stand in solidarity against hate and in community with those impacted."

Our second round of Radical Gifting boxes are out for delivery today!

These boxes were made in collaboration with three supported community members. Each person was paired with an artist to develop items intended to bring the coast to the receiver. Lauri, Janey and Susan were invited to spend time with their artist to share, inspire and create.

During an intimate session of chat, sharing memories and exploring objects they worked closely together. The outcome was the series of gifts created by artists Sadie, Lo Lo and Elly to bring experiences of the coast to life, especially for those who may not be able to get there in person.

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“The experience has reminded me how important conversational flow is to the process of co-creating, and to any socially engaged creative practice. It has shaken my practice in an unexpected way and made me reflect deeply on the organic nature of creativity and its inseparable link to senses and interpersonal connections. I have found that after the experience I myself feel a greater connection to the coast and feel inspired.”
– Maggie Huiming, Radical Gifting Artist 2023

Studio Producers, Mata and Ibrahim, have been working with to co-design a climbable art installation at Folkestone’s

Save the date for Tuesday September 24th to see ‘Holding On’ in person!

People United and KRAN invite you to celebrate the launch of the Co-Design Studio’s second public art installation: Tuesday September 24th. ✨
 
The studio producers commissioned artist Hannah Whittaker to create a climbable artwork. Inspired by a collaborative poem written by KRAN members and poet Yomi Sode, it invites us to reflect on our own ideas around self-belief and not giving up.
 
Installed on the highest climbing wall in the South East, ‘Holding On’ will change and evolve over time, offering new routes and experiences for its’ climbers and inviting new people to connect.
 
If you would like to experience this work at its launch please save the date. There will be food, music and celebration. ✨

Thanks to our volunteers for their help packing and decorating our current round of Radical Gifting boxes: Mel, Kathy, and KCC Community Warden, Jackie! The boxes contain sensory art works that were collaboratively designed between the artists and the community participants we worked with and will be distributed to socially isolated individuals across East Kent. 🎁

This project asks how we might work together to explore the potential impact of “radical gifting,” referring to the act of offering a gift without expectation of receiving anything in return. Radical Gifting is designed around gift making and receiving, with the aim of fostering wellbeing and generating interconnectedness with/between people experiencing social isolation. 🎁

Have you seen our artist call out?

The Co-Design studio is seeking a collaborative artist to make a climbable artwork for the highest climbing wall in the southeast.

Created in partnership by People United and Kent Refugee Action Network, the Co-Design Studio is a collaborative project which supports people, with first-hand experience of navigating the UK’s borders as a migrant, to develop creative producing skills and expertise.

The Studio Producers work collectively, with support from both organisations to commission new artworks and create meaningful arts participation opportunities for KRAN members as a way of inviting new conversations in our divided borderland communities and working towards cultures of belonging across East Kent. They created a visual artist brief for this call out - head to our website to see the image in higher resolution and to read how to apply: https://peopleunited.org.uk/stories/co-design-studio/artist-callout-co-design-studio/

Sadie and Lauri met in Dover last week to discuss Lauri's memories of the coast, especially going to the beach as a child with her Aunt and Uncle as part their planning session for Radical Gifting.

Read more about Sadie and her ephemeral approach to art on our website: https://peopleunited.org.uk/stories/radical-gifting/radical-gifting-artists-2024/

Special thanks to Porchlight for collaborating with us on this stage of the project!

Lo Lo and Susan met in her home last week to listen to recordings of the waves and hold objects from the coast, including sea water, for their Radical Gifting collaboration session.

Read more about Lo Lo and their reflective approach to art on our website: https://peopleunited.org.uk/stories/radical-gifting/radical-gifting-artists-2024/

Special thanks to KCC Community Wardens for working with us on this stage of the project!

We are seeking a collaborative artist for new commission: ‘Holding On’ ✨ 🎨

This project comes from the Co-Design studio, a partnership between and , and is being supported by and who are providing space and support for this installation, a climbable artwork for the highest climbing wall in the southeast. 🧗

We are looking for an artist who...
✅ Has experience of working collaboratively with members of the public, e.g. with groups or individuals in community settings, ideally with specific experience of collaborative or co-design projects with young people.
✅ Has a design and fabrication practice, ideally with specific experience of making 3D, durable or interactive objects.
✅ Is based in the Kent or the South-East (including London). We will prioritise artists who are living and/or working in Kent.
This is a collaboration with young people who have first-hand experience of navigating the UK’s asylum system. We are keen to work with an artist who has a working understanding of our current asylum system, whether indirect, direct or through lived or professional experience.

If this sounds like you visit our website for more details and to find out how to apply! ✨🔗https://peopleunited.org.uk/stories/co-design-studio/artist-callout-co-design-studio/

Elly and Janey met in Folkestone on Friday to explore textures, sounds, and colours of the coast in an immersive planning session for Radical Gifting.

Read more about Elly and her playful art practice here: https://peopleunited.org.uk/stories/radical-gifting/radical-gifting-artists-2024/

Special thanks to Porchlight for collaborating with us on this stage of the project!

Radical Gifting is designed around gift making and receiving, with the aim of fostering wellbeing and generating interconnectedness with/between people experiencing social isolation.

This summer, for the second phase of the project, we are working with artists Lo Lo No, Elly Rutherford, and Sadie Hennessy, to collaborate with socially isolated individuals in their homes and co-design objects to evoke an immersive experience of the East Kent coastline.

Read more about these three amazing artists here:
https://peopleunited.org.uk/stories/radical-gifting/radical-gifting-artists-2024/

Seaside explorations, coastal connections, and time together. 🌊☀️

This week Radical Gifting artists, Elly Rutherford, Lo Lo No, and Sadie Hennessy, met for a coastal immersion session at Newgate Gap beach led by Flints.

Stay tuned for more updates about the artists and the newest round of this project as they forge connections through sensory artworks inspired by the coast.

People United and KRAN invite you to celebrate the launch of Co-Design Studio’s first public artwork.

The Studio Producers commissioned Catherine Chinatree to produce a piece that would be meaningful, positive, and spark questions, asking the public to reconsider the narrative around young people who have experienced the UK asylum system, highlighting the possibilities of welcome, hope, laughter and thriving. The billboard has been installed in Payers Park in Folkestone, with aims to contribute to the conversation around migration in the coastal town amidst other great works of public art.

The launch will include food, music, and a creative workshop, as well as an introduction to the piece from the Studio Producers.

The billboard and launch party venue have step free access - please email [email protected] for any other questions about the event.

See you there! 👋

For their first public installation, the Co-Design Studio Producers commissioned artist Catherine Chinatree to produce a piece that would be meaningful, welcoming, and would spark questions, speaking to the experience of arriving in the UK as a refugee or asylum seeker.

We asked Chinatree how the artistic process has been so far, particular how has the process of working with a co-design cohort with producers with lived experience of the topic compared to other artist commissioning experiences:

"I am honoured to have been approached by producers to work on a project that centres around their lived experiences. It is urgent to deliver the artist’s brief as close to the expressed feelings and ideas as possible, as these experiences are happening in real-time. This makes the work feel more authentic as it is a response and collaboration where honesty and clear communication are key. Working on this project has been a true honour for me. We must deliver the artist brief as close to the expressed feelings and ideas as possible, as these experiences are happening in real-time. The work feels more authentic as it is a response and collaboration where honesty and clear communication are key. This experience has taught me the value of being present and fully engaged in the creative process."

The artwork will be installed on billboard in Payer's Park in Folkestone for May 21st.

As part of their residency weekend, the Studio Producers worked with artist Louella Ward to explore how the juxtaposition of words and images can add layers of meaning to artworks. ✏️✨

Adding excerpts of found text and meaningful messages and slogans to images of East Kent town- and sea-scapes, they explored what it would mean to bring their personal worldviews into contact with public space. This exercise both ignited an interest in the collaborative nature of collage, and strengthened the studio’s commitment to producing art that carries messages of hope and positivity, which remains one of the Studio Producers’ top priorities for their work in the public realm.

Read more about the Co-Design Studio on our website and stay tuned here for more updates!

We are thrilled to introduce our Co-Design Studio's Producers 🎨✨

The studio launched in January and the team has been hard at work dreaming up a public installation coming to Folkestone in May. We connected to Ibrahim, Grmalem, Mata and Basera through our partnership with Kent Refugee Action Network (KRAN). Here are their bios:

Ibrahim cares about humanity, believes in equality and thinks that art is amazing. He is based in Folkestone and in the future wants to be a billionaire. In the mean time, he wants to encourage other people to work hard and to believe in themselves.

Grmalem considers art to be a language everyone can speak. He is from Eritrea and now lives in Kent. He has experience in care leavers and refugee immigration systems and he believes in humanity and equality. Grmalem cares about vulnerable people and wants to encourage others to build connections and confidence.

Mata thinks that art should be important to everyone because it can communicate more than words alone. He is from Eritrea and is based in Folkestone, and loves listening to music, watching movies and doing sports. Mata believes strongly in human rights and equality, and wants to use his skills in listening and understanding people to help the wider community, especially young people.

Basera believes in women’s rights and thinks that art is beautiful. She is based in Canterbury, though she comes from Afghanistan. She wants to study medicine, has experience in dressmaking, and when she is not making art she is likely bowling or watching movies.

Read more about the Co-Design Studio on our website and stay tuned here for more updates!

We are pleased to welcome Jo McLean to the People United team as our new director! 🧡 💜

A former musician, Jo is a relationship builder with 15 years’ experience as a leader in the cultural sector. Her passion is helping organisations improve their performance, whether through facilitating dialogue about purpose and goals, innovating business models, streamlining and digitising work processes or bringing people together to shape and align behind a vision.

Stay tuned for what's ahead for PU in 2024 and beyond. We will be sharing updates on our ongoing partnership with KRAN and our next phase of Radical Gifting as we continue to collectively imagine new ways of caring. 🧡 💜

In February 2020 we came out with two new resources developed in conjunction with our third research report: 'Taking Care: The Art of Kindness'. The resources were illustrated by artist Lydia Bevan, including a beautiful metaphorical map and a set of accompanying cards. Both resources were intended to encourage project collaborators to incorporate radical kindness into their reflections, with one and another and with themselves, and are still available for you to use on our website: https://peopleunited.org.uk/our-projects/navigating-with-kindness/

The card with the book illustration, pictured here, prompts you to 'Reflect and Evaluate': "While there may be demands for evaluation from outside of the project, it is also enriching and beneficial to reflect and evaluate for yourself. Have you built in the time to reflect and evaluate? Is reflection ongoing and embedded in your practice?"

Share your thoughts on how reflection is a part of your practice below or check out the resources for some solo reflection at your own pace!

Today we say goodbye to Janice McGuiness as she steps down as CEO after five years. We are very grateful for Janice's contributions to the organisation and glad that she will continue to support us as an associate. We will be introducing her successor later this month.

We are setting up for this weekend’s residency with our four young producers in collaboration with - stay tuned for more updates! 🎨🧡💜

Warm wishes from us to you! 🧡💜

1️⃣🎄 ✨ To mark the final day of our countdown we are celebrating again our Calouste Gulbenkian Award for Civic Arts Organisations - open to arts organisations across the UK, this year’s Award recognised organisations that unlocked the creativity of the communities to navigate today’s challenges and help shape a better future.

We were thrilled to receive this prize for our Futures of Care project realised in collaboration with Kent Refugee Action Network (KRAN). We can’t wait to see what the new KRAN Producers Grmalem, Ibrahim and Mohadeseh get up to in phase 2 of the project. Watch this space!

The image today showcases the artist Jamshid Maylanchi in front of Sea of the Unseeable and the second image includes words from our CEO about the award and words from Luwam, one of the young producers, about the artwork itself:

“My Hope is that this artwork helps people understand what refugees and asylum seekers go through in order to find safety. On the waves you see our ideas of what care looks like for us, here and now,, as we try to move forward as part of this place where we live now.”

Happy holidays from us to you – thank you for joining us on these 12 Days of Care. We can’t wait to continue exploring radical care with you in 2024! 💜🧡

[Image description: Jamshid standing in front of the artwork ‘Sea of the Unseeable’ There is an orange border and blue corners to accent the colours of the artwork. There is an orange 1 in the bottom corner.]

2️⃣ 🎄 ✨ We are counting down with 12 Days of Care: reminiscing on the different projects from our Futures of Care programme and the feedback we’ve received from you, local communities, participants, artists.

Futures of Care is our collaborative, multi-arts programme exploring radical care, taking place across East Kent and online. Last winter we built on our learnings from these first projects and held our first Care Lab online.

With two more days in our countdown, we wanted to share more about our Care Lab: Care Lab explored caring practices for people working in the creative industries with artists, producers, community organisations and funders. The three sessions were facilitated by cultural thinker and member of People United’s advisory panel Suzanne Alleyne (). The notes from each were beautifully recorded by Rae Goddard’s (.journal) visual minutes included here.

Head to our website to watch the recordings of the session or download the Blueprints for Care that came out of the rich discussions on the day: https://peopleunited.org.uk/stories/futures-of-care/care-lab/

Make sure to subscribe to our newsletter to follow along with the next stage of Futures of Care! 📧

Join us to collectively imagine new ways of caring over this holiday season! 2️⃣🎄 ✨

[Image description: Blue paper folded into hearts reading ‘what is care?’ photographed along driftwood on pebbles by the beach. The background is a mix of blue bags and fishing nets. There is a white number two in the bottom corner. The following slides are visual minutes from the conversations with in depth image descriptions available on our website at the link above.]

3️⃣🎄 ✨ We are counting down with 12 Days of Care: reminiscing on the different projects from our Futures of Care programme and the feedback we’ve received from you, local communities, participants, artists.

With three days to go we are sharing another photo from our Radical Gifting project, showing the collaboration session between Maggie and Jan. The following image includes Maggie’s thoughts on the experience of co-creation.

This project asks how we might work together to explore the potential impact of “radical gifting,” referring to the act of offering a gift without expectation of receiving anything in return. Radical Gifting is designed around gift making and receiving, with the aim of fostering wellbeing and generating interconnectedness with/between people experiencing social isolation. It builds on our 2022 project, Soft Fascination, conceived collaboratively with artist Selina Thompson.

We would love to hear your thoughts on radical gifting over the holiday season – comment below if you feel able! 🎁

Join us to collectively imagine new ways of caring over this holiday season! 3️⃣🎄 ✨

[Image description: Maggie is kneeling and holding a wicker item while looking at Jan across a coffee table who is seated in her wheelchair with another wicker item held to her face. There are light pink lines in the bottom, a light pink border, and a light pink number 3.]

4️⃣🎄 ✨ We are counting down with 12 Days of Care: reminiscing on the different projects from our Futures of Care programme and the feedback we’ve received from you, local communities, participants, artists.

With four days to go we are overdue to highlight the awesome Futures of Care Manifesto. In 2021 People United collaborated with youth leaders at Kent Refugee Action Network (KRAN) and Pie Factory Music, 16 – 20 year-old refugees at KRAN and artist Soofiya () to co-create a Manifesto of Care.

The manifesto explores what we care about, what we wish for and what we want to change. It functions as both a “make your own manifesto of care” kit and poster. We’ve included the booklet here for you to look through but head to our website for better viewing or to download your own copy: https://peopleunited.org.uk/stories/futures-of-care/futures-of-care-manifesto/

Join us to collectively imagine new ways of caring over this holiday season! 4️⃣🎄 ✨

[We have included alt-text for these images, which outlines the key details on our website through the link above and an audio description of the Manifesto which provides a more in-depth description as well as full narration of the text.]

5️⃣🎄 ✨ We are counting down with 12 Days of Care: reminiscing on the different projects from our Futures of Care programme and the feedback we’ve received from you, local communities, participants, artists.

Today’s image is not part of our Futures of Care programme but has been part of the work we do for the last decade: the Kindness Challenge Badge.

The Kindness Challenge Badge for Rainbows, Brownies, Guides, and Leaders, is about being kind to others and encourages them to think about how being kind can bring people together. The challenge badge incorporates the mediators we know from our research that explain how the arts can grow kindness: connections, learning, empathy, and values.

Read more about the Kindness Challenge Badge or apply to earn a badge on our website: https://peopleunited.org.uk/our-projects/kindness-challenge-badge/

Join us to collectively imagine new ways of caring over this holiday season! 5️⃣🎄 ✨

[Image description: A blue fabric badge reading ‘Kindness Challenge’ is photographed on a mossy tree trunk with a bright green border on the image and a bright green number 5.]

6️⃣🎄 ✨ We are counting down with 12 Days of Care: reminiscing on the different projects from our Futures of Care programme and the feedback we’ve received from you, local communities, participants, artists.

With six days to go we are reflecting again on the Soft Fascination project: a concept created collaboratively with Selina Thompson Ltd, involving three local artists who shared their experience of forest bathing and its benefits with individuals who cannot easily access nature and its wider context for wellbeing.

Our Creative Producer, Mandy Quy-Verlander worked in partnership with a number of organisations to share the package with recipients on a two to one basis (she is always accompanied by somebody known to the recipient, such as a support worker or befriender). She is included in these photos with both a Kent Community Council Community Warden and with a community participant. The second image includes feedback from a partnering organisation on the project.

You can read more about Soft Fascination on our website: https://peopleunited.org.uk/stories/futures-of-care/soft-fascination/

Join us to collectively imagine new ways of caring over this holiday season! 6️⃣🎄 ✨

[Image description: There are two photos included on Mandy, one seated with a participant, and one standing with a community warden. In both images the Soft Fascination box is displayed as a cardboard box with decorative leaves on the outside. There is a blue border and a blue number 6.]

7️⃣🎄 ✨ In the festive spirit, we are counting down with 12 Days of Care: reminiscing on the different projects from our Futures of Care programme and the feedback we’ve received from you, local communities, participants, artists.

With seven days to go we reflect on the importance of reciprocal care in the project: We Keep Each Other Fed. Last year, amidst the cost-of-living crisis, writer, illustrator and creator Henry James Garrett () explored the notion of community and interdependence, creating art work to adorn three community pantries in East Kent.

The wonderful collaborating organisations, Our Kitchen – Our Food Club in Margate, Canterbury Umbrella Centre’s Social Health Café, and Dover Pantry, all have dynamic, collaborative approaches to community building, not only offering affordable or free healthy food, but also strongly contributing to community-led placemaking, building community connections and promoting an ongoing sense of kinship and reciprocal care. Some of their feedback is included in the second image.

We also commissioned Margate Films to tell the story of the people behind this vital community space, and through Henry’s artwork explore what interdependence means, day to day, for those who work in and use this community kitchen. You can watch the film and read more about the project on our website: https://peopleunited.org.uk/stories/futures-of-care/we-keep-each-other-fed/

Join us to collectively imagine new ways of caring over this holiday season! 7️⃣🎄 ✨

[Image description: The photograph is of a large sticker of a bunch of smiling tomatoes with a speech bubble reading: “You say “tomato”, I say “No one should be hungry in a world with ample food.” The are pink swirling lines on top of the photo and a pink number 7 in the bottom corner.]

8️⃣🎄 ✨ We are counting down with 12 Days of Care: reminiscing on the different projects from our Futures of Care programme and the feedback we’ve received from you, local communities, participants, artists.

With eight days to go we are sharing another snapshot of Q***r Zines of Care. The idea for the co-commission came from People United’s acting Creative Programmes Producer Dre Spisto () who found that encountering similar zines in a local shop when they first moved to the Kent coast had an especially positive effect and provided a sense of community.

The prompt for the artists was a zine that includes the topic of radical care as it applied to them, in the context of being a q***r person in coastal Kent. For three zines created with such a specific focus you might expect there to be a number of similarities and overlapping ideas between them, and the zines are similar in some ways – they are all beautiful, evocative and deeply meaningful. However, one of the most noticeable things about the zines when viewed as a single commission was just how different each of them is. The most immediately noticeable difference is the mediums each artist chose to work in – one a mix of vibrant collaged pages laid out so they can be cut out by the reader, one a colourful graphic novel, and one a beautifully laid out essay – but they also differ in the aspects of radical care and q***r community each artist chose to focus on, showing how widely varied the experiences of the q***r community in Kent can be.

Perhaps today is a good day to reflect - What does radical care mean to you?
Share the answers below if you feel able!

As a reminder, all three zines are available to view and download on our website at: https://peopleunited.org.uk/stories/futures-of-care/q***r-zines-of-care/

Join us to collectively imagine new ways of caring over this holiday season! 8️⃣🎄 ✨

[Image description: There are two people seated on plaid arm chairs each holding a zine. The background is blue with polka dots and there is a white number 8.]