Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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842. To ask the Minister for Health the details of the initiatives referred to under the heading switching off and being creative on page 20 of the COVID-19 Resilience and Recovery 2021 - The Path Ahead by local authority area; and the expenditure provided for same by local authority area. [11490/21]

Frank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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The COVID-19 Resilience and Recovery 2021: The Path Ahead details initiatives to support general well-being under the “Keep Well” campaign which is continuing through the ongoing pandemic. An investment of €7m overall in general well-being supports was provided under the headings: keeping active and being outdoors, staying connected with people, switching off and being creative, eating well, and minding your mood. In relation to switching off and being creative, Local Authorities and libraries, with advice from Creative Ireland, and working with partners at national and local level, are providing a range of initiatives to support individual and community creativity in the arts, crafting, culture and heritage.

Overall, 31 local authorities are implementing 137 actions under the switching off and being creative community resilience campaign at a cost of €992,530. The target group for this activity is the general population however there are targeted activities towards specific population cohorts, such as: older persons (Including those in long term residential care), children and youth (parents), ethnic minorities and migrants, people with a disability, carers, and lower socioeconomic groups. Central to these projects is supporting individuals and communities across all age groups and social backgrounds to engage in creative projects, activities, and interactions.

The following table provides the budgets for each of the 31 Local Authorities:

Each Local Authority has presented a programme of creative activities. The actions include a variety of responses to areas such as mental health, cultural diversity, and isolation. Initiatives include virtual reading clubs, presentation of live musical /drama performances to schools and community settings, projects with older populations, well-being activities and supports across councils library networks, live broadcasts, bespoke theatre and musical performances to residential care homes and hospital settings, online drawing and sewing workshops, mindfulness campaigns and alternative farming. The following list per Local Authority provides high level detail on the initiatives per local authority area for the period of the Keep Well campaign in winter and spring. (note some activities have been impacted/adapted in line with COVID restrictions).

Carlow County Council

The creative photography project will see the delivery of a county wide project in the format of a competition resulting in a publication.

Festival in a Van project visiting the 3 Municipal districts and targeting at risk groups such as the older person and vulnerable families.

Story Ninja - Expansion of the current programme.

Cavan County Council

- One Book, One County running January-March, featuring group discussion and author events Bring Live Musical / Drama Performances to Centres, Schools, Nursing Homes using a bespoke van Where We Belong' - Multi-faceted Place-making project with a Christmas theme Storytelling / Oral Reminiscences Series to promote well-being and communication, supported by an online photographic exhibition platform

Clare County Council

- Upcycling Xmas Challenge

- Arts Activities - Dementia Friendly Visual Arts Programme & Well-being Activities Heritage Biodiversity - Campaign and Activities

- Range of Library and Museum initiatives

Cork City Council

- Creative on the green' will be a community focussed creative programme of events/activities in six different locations

Cork County Council

- Exercise & Rhyme, Learn the ukulele, Origami Paper Play - Follow the Creative Fold

- Community Art Trails, Carers' Project. An Artist By My Side, Creative Writing: Short Story Course

Galway County Council

- Creative engagement with communities around their built and cultural heritage to create videos or other online formats for exhibition

- Pop-up entertainment in community and healthcare settings

- Artists in Communities project to devise a Life Lessons from Lockdown Project collating stories and positive reflections through creative engagement

- Communities engage creatively with their communities

Roscommon County Council

- Providing creative live entertainment in either a community and/or healthcare setting, for example, festival in a van, drive-in theatre and forget me not choir.

- Creatively engaging with communities throughout Roscommon and around the world

- RCC will use print, post and social networks to creatively engage with local communities, for example a Taste of Roscommon cookbook/ cooking demos, virtual First Fortnight Festival for artists and Christmas calendars.

- Encouraging communities to engage creatively with historical places in their locality and the utilisation of spaces for the arts. Lighting up of Landmark Buildings in Roscommon.

Donegal County Council

- Uncover and Rediscover Programme Music in Donegal Care Homes; Nature is good for you Facilitated Creative Writing Programme. Facilitated Art Workshops - Home and Place Here and Now Multi-Disciplinary Arts for Older People

- Community Christmas Concert

Dublin City Council

- The purchase of a Glasshouse for a community garden off Henrietta St. which will be used as a “good head space” for locals in an area of high crime and drugs. Providing respite from the anti social behaviour around and bringing the community together, increasing a sense of pride in the local area. Horticultural education around planting will be provided in Spring.

- Street mural on Cathedral Lane where 12 local multi-generational community groups will come together to look at diversity in their community; take pride in their local area and assist in drawing youths away from the local drugs trading.

- Raising Voices Choir

- Play Packs for Older People working with the Play Development Officer and Bio-Diversity Office

Fingal County Council

- A unique live, online performance and recorded on video, featuring a programme of classical music works, for piano and voice. Centred on remembrance and hope, it will be dedicated to lives lost during the Covid-19 pandemic. The event to take place in a Fingal Heritage property.

- FCC in conjunction with Draiocht Arts Centre Blanchardstown is proposing artist-designed large-scale image projections onto buildings in the Dublin 15 area, with input from young people which will have massive community impact.

- Creative supports for schools: digital programme of well-being supports including online talks in helping your child with school-related anxiety, well-being for parents and other specific mental health topics; Well-being talks for children and teens with specific talks for neurodiverse and ASD children and teens; Sensory friendly online workshops; Afterschool coding camp; Creative writing programme; Participants will also receive a book bag of i-literacy and other literacy supports.

Kildare County Council

- A series of bursaries will be awarded in the region of €3,000 - €10,000. Including: Christmas themes, Grow Your Own (fruit and veg)/ gardening, Climate Change, Being Creative, Exploring Heritage On My Door Step, Biodiversity in My Garden Winter and Spring.

Kilkenny County Council

- Garden of Light in Castle Yard Kilkenny, Made in Kilkenny Showcase and Curious Treasures exhibition displayed in windows.

- Christmas Themed lighting at Woodsock in Kilkenny

- Rewarding Reads Campaign: Beginners Creative Writing Workshops will be developed for those who want to learn the craft of writing Ireland Reads: A series of virtual author talks for adults and children including zoom workshops to schools to encourage engagement

- Ossory Youth 'Switch Off in order to Switch On to the World Around You': Programme of Activities 6-7 weekly sessions -Including: Photography, Yoga, Forest Skills, Meditation, Creative Writing, Arts & Crafts, Drama, Music & Cooking and a trip. Costs to cover to cover facilitators, resources, materials & trip

Leitrim County Council

- Library Christmas Post Initiative involves primary school children writing a letter to all residents of County Leitrim's Care Homes which will be accompanied by a specially selected book and presented in a gift pack to all residents as a Christmas Gift.

- Wild Words Young Writers Group - this project would aim to work with a membership of young people from the region who have an interest in creative writing. The group would be provided with the opportunity of working weekly from January to March with 2 creatives on writing, theatre making and animation.

- Theatre Making - 'In Residence Theatre Companies' The Rabbit's Riot and Exit Does Theatre would work with people on the 10 traits of Theatre Making.

- Weekly Sing Along Sessions & Dance Yourself Happy - online which would invite people to take a trip down memory lane through favourite songs we all know and love. People would be invited to send their requests for a song of their choice/ Dance to fun range of upbeat music

Monaghan County Council

- Get Creative Programme including art classes, crafts, photography, writing, poetry, book clubs, music classes

- Get to Know Your county - series of Heritage and Nature Walking Tours; Open days at estates/houses

- Look after yourself mindfulness packs

- Drive in Movies

Limerick City and County Council

- Our County Our Stories community book club program - To keep our communities connected through creative reading and writing

- The Creative Music and Art Programme for patients of University Maternity Hospital Limerick

Galway City Council

- Based on the model of 'Bringing it all back Home" this project will reach out to Transition Year students to engage with their grandparents and for grandparents to pass on their stories, poetry or skills which will then be documented and published.

- Deliver a City community wide reflection project to encourage individuals, community groups, schools, businesses etc to reflect on the last 12 months living with Covid.

- Festival in a Van is a ready to go, fully formed under the "live, mobile, pop-up creative entertainment in community and healthcare settings" heading, Festival in a Van is a mobile performance space bringing arts into the heart of communities in a Covid-safe and engaging way

- Eastside Youth Service operates a targeted youth service to support young people in dealing with issues associated with poverty.

Laois County Council

- Get Crafting

- Splash into Spring challenge, an online challenge to post videos or photos of splashing into puddles to promote physical activity on rainy days.

- The Bandwagon mobile concerts to Community Hospitals initiated by Music Generation Laois

- "If the Walls had Ears" Podcast Series

Mayo County Council

- Radio book club

- Drive-in concerts at Care homes

- Switch off, Go, and Click (creative photography for families) Digital Buddies Creative Christmas

- Online creative projects (craft/ dance/ music/ visual art etc)

- Cultural Companions and other programmes for older people to experience cultural events

Longford County Council

- Christmas Arts and Crafts Handmade Christmas Cards by local children.

- Art for All, including arts, photography.

- Longford Community TV studio School Around the Corner with local Primary Schools

- Creative cooking

Louth County Council

- Cultural Bubble Buddies

- A Christmas Visit Music Concert online devised for Nursing Home enjoyment.

- Festival in a Van

- Walk -through recordings capturing the essence of our cultural buildings including Archives, Museum and Louth Libraries.

- Garden Bird Survey kits Encouraging and facilitating people taking part in the Irish Garden Bird Survey 2020 to 2021 by providing 'Garden Bird Survey kits'

Meath County Council

- Music, Literature & Genealogy

- Arts Project - In the Midst of Masters

- Get Creative - Christmas workshop & learn to paint

- Heritage Initiatives specific to Co Meath

South Dublin County Council

- 5 X 3 Artists in Creative Residence

- Science, Technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM Lab) Workshops

Tipperary County Council

- Bursary Scheme supporting local artists engaging in our community aligned to Keep Well Themes

Waterford City and County Council

- Creative Entertainment - Action to bring activities, workshops, seminars into people's homes and communities

- Creative Reading and Writing- A range of activities to be rolled out January to March under this theme and enabling people to Switch off and Be Creative

- Crossing the digital divide through training and the rollout of devices to help those who would like to engage in activities using social media

- Photography - Support for Older People's Council Photography Competition

Westmeath County Council

- Creative Bursts: Deliver a series of STEAM workshops, videos and talks under the Creative Bursts Programme

- Christmas Cheer: Deliver a Christmas programme of workshops, videos on crafting, music, and stories.

- Deliver a Creative Writing programme: 7 workshops

- Deliver a series of talks with popular authors

Wexford County Council

- Art & Music programmes for specific target groups including those with dementia and those experiencing mental health difficulties

- Age Friendly Switching Off Activities to include intergenerational penpal and storytelling activities and creative heritage art programme.

- Library Services Focus on Special Needs with creative writing, omnivista magic table technology activities, and sensory toy technology & training

- Parents Connecting Through Storytime

Kerry County Council

- Creative tutors to engage with families around play at home activities and surrounding area

- Writer in Residence Marie Holmes focus on well-being writing workshops

- Film maker in residence Mieke Vanmechelen film making workshops

- Kerry local historian award - explore your local heritage

Sligo County Council

- Virtual Christmas Tree

- Shine a light event held on the solstice on the 20th of December 2020.

- Workshops on developing bee and wildlife gardens and tree planting to promote biodiversity

- Workshops for parents and young people to support resilience, well-being, and mindfulness

Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council

- Psychologist led eco walks in 7 parks across the county

- Creative writing programme - two strands - young adults & traveller specific programme

- Festival in a Van concept

- Spring in your step programme - heritage crafts, knitting, digital inclusion, try something new stories

Offaly County Council

- Craft Mosaic bags for all ages delivered through local library service

- Family Support / Life skills Programme (healthy cookery, DIY, home craft interiors, sensory gardens

- Edenderry peace-making with Blundell Castle archaeology & art

- Nature awareness and pod cast series

Wicklow County Council

- Music and the Arts 1. Music Network - Deliver instruments and tuition, both group sessions and individual. To include piano, cello, violin, mandolin, voice, guitar, tin whistle and flute; "Festival in a Van" - music van will visit hospitals, nursing homes & hospice to provide concerts for residents. Successfully trialled in 6 local authorities to date     

- Winter Care Packs - 500 packs being distributed, with HSE consultation to those in most need.

- Heritage and Nature 1. "My Place, My Heritage" - 2. "Nature is Good for You" - 5 themes spread over 5 weeks, in association with East Coast Radio 3. "Nature on Your Doorstep" - encouraging public to engage with nature, when on their 5 km walks - take & upload photographs

- Libraries & Outreach 1. "Doula to You" Connecting expectant and new mothers who may be feeling isolated, focus will be on the mother. 2.Ukulele lessons 3. Yoga online 4. Beginners Short Story Writing - 5. Family History Classes: 6. Art Classes.