Odd Arts

Odd Arts works within the criminal justice, community, mental health and education sectors. They aim to increase engagement in the arts and culture for disadvantaged groups; improve work-based skills through accredited artistic opportunities; improve mental health and wellbeing and reduce the risk of (re)offending. All their projects use specialist applied theatre and creative arts to address and explore contentious and challenging issues for vulnerable and excluded groups.

In 2021, we awarded Odd Arts a three-year grant totalling £89,951 to fund the young women’s strand of the ‘Creative Community Resettlement’. Creative Community Resettlement is a creative project, challenging the misconception that people who have experienced adversity, trauma and incarceration are ‘other’. Working closely with young women in Manchester facing complex mental health needs, the project will include 1-2-1 ‘wellbeing’ theatre workshops and specialist therapeutic theatre activities.

After the first year of the programme, Odd Arts reported they have worked with 225 participants in 59 1-2-1 theatre workshops or speciality therapeutic theatre activities. The project included work within high schools, prisons, care-lever groups, PRUs and Women’s Aid – amongst others. Young women have been responding positively to the programme, such as saying their mood has been lifted post session.

Odd Arts also reported overall that 95% of participants said they felt more creative and 85% said they felt more confident after sessions. One young woman shared “I think doing these sessions brings out the best in me and what I can achieve”.  Although it is too early to draw strong conclusions about the programme, these initial findings are promising and reflect the impact these creative sessions are having on participants.

Odd Arts is part of the first cohort of the Young Women’s Mental Health programme, where we’ve committed £5 million over 5 years to improve the mental health of young women aged 16-25 years old. Find out more about Odd Arts.