Great Place (Social Glue and creative care kits)

Social Glue

Commissioned by the Great Place project in Greater Manchester Combined Authority and authored by Dr Clive Parkinson, A Social Glue sets out how culture and creativity contribute to the health and wellbeing of the people of Greater Manchester and how the time has never been better to champion and expand this agenda.

Read the 'A Social Glue' report (external website)

Creative care kits

The Creative Care Kits initiative is led by GMCA and since June 2020 has seen around 22,000 Creative Care kits (first edition) distributed to young people who are not online, and so may have been feeling more isolated and lonely as we entered the COVID-19 pandemic.

Each kit contains 36 pages of activities, hints and tips on protecting young people's mental wellbeing and a set of art materials. As well as giving young people something to do, the kits helped to create a sense of connection at a time when they are were not able to rely on face-to-face interactions.

Front cover of Creative Care Kit
(first edition)

Download the first edition Creative Care Kit booklet (PDF, 4.6MB)

Read press release about first Creative Care Kits launching on GMCA's website (Internal webpage)

New for autumn 2020 - Creative Care Kits for young people second edition

The second edition Creative Care Kit for young people builds on the first version, but with a more of a focus on the kinds of things young people can do to get their voices heard, make changes for the better in their communities, and to find and act on their own passions.

The kit is designed for 13-20-year-olds, particularly those who face challenges accessing online resources and who need extra support at the moment.

Front cover of Creative Care Kit
(second edition)

Download the second edition Creative Care Kit booklet (PDF, 4.6MB)

If you received the first Creative Care Kit, you’ll notice that this time round we have doubled the amount of content in the book, rather than sending out supporting art materials. The latest kit is split into three themes: Being in the World, Being Myself and Being the Change. Each section includes activities to introduce and explore each topic, real life experiences of young people, and information about how you can get involved.

For many young people, life today isn’t what they expected it to be a year ago. But as well as acknowledging missed opportunities and disappointment, we also have a chance to do things differently for ourselves and in the wider world.

This kit is full of ideas, stories and activities, which at the very least will help you pass the time and may even inspire you to be the change you’d like to see in the world.

Creative Care Kits and other useful resources, information and support on offer to young people will be highlighted as part of the work carried out by Greater Manchester’s Youth Task Force as a Guarantee for young people is developed.

The Youth Task Force was set up to help young people in Greater Manchester, aged 11 to 30, feel more positive in what is a challenging and difficult time for many and these new Creative Care Kits are directly linked to key priorities of the Task Force's Keeping Connected and Staying Well groups.

We would love to get your feedback, hear your ideas and see what you make or do. You can use social media to do this: @GM_Culture #GMcreativekits or by emailing: CultureTeam@greatermanchester-ca.gov.uk.