New grant supports children’s mental and physical wellbeing
Fri 12 March 2021Trinity Laban receives almost £10k to continue delivering creative dance programmes for young people.
The London Community Response Fund, supported by the Mayor of London, has awarded Trinity Laban £9,971 to relaunch the conservatoire’s Dance Ability and Dancing Ahead programmes, which have been impacted by the ongoing pandemic.
The generous funding will enable the two projects to operate with a new model that combines face-to-face delivery with online opportunities, extending reach and ensuring longer-term sustainability and responsiveness.
The programmes focus on supporting children and young people who are experiencing mental health difficulties or living with a disability.
Dancing Ahead is a project for children and young people aged 10-16 at risk of low resilience or poor mental health. Informed by research and originally established as part of the Headstart national programme, the empowering class focuses on building resilience by providing a positive learning environment through dance.
Dance Ability is a project for children and young people aged 5-10 with physical and/or learning disabilities and their siblings, which provides physical activity, creativity, social interaction, increasing participants’ confidence and social skills. Participants are given the freedom to experience, explore and create movement together with the guidance of our specialist Lead and Support Artists.
The re-launched programmes will engage up to 100 children and young people aged 5-16 in the form of free taster workshops for schools, community groups and support networks in March and April, led by specialist Dance Artists, and a 12-week programme of dancing activities in the summer term.
Trinity Laban’s Head of Children and Young People’s Dance Programmes Laura Aldridge comments –
“We are thrilled to receive funding to support Dancing Ahead and Dance Ability. This is particularly meaningful at a time when lockdown is ending. Children will benefit from supportive creative dance activity that enables physical expression and connection with others.”
Find out more about how you can Take Part.