Enhancing social, emotional and mental wellbeing and development through creativity.

Creative Mindset creatively reshapes the way children learn about, understand and respect themselves, others and the world around them. Using an arts-based approach, we design and facilitate creative and practical tasks that empower our young learners to better understand and support themselves and others as they grow.

Artlet’s new program is not an art therapy program, nor is it a Visual Arts program. Our workshops combine a unique blend of art-based practices with evidence-based Social and Emotional Learning to provide a creative and accessible outlet that supports children’s social, emotional and mental wellbeing. Through ‘conversational art’ and practical learning, inhibitions are reduced, while engagement and participation is maximised. Offered as homeschool, after-school and as a school incursion program, Creative Mindset workshops use art as a tool for inquiry, communication, reflection, connection and mindfulness. And of course, because it’s fun! Art reduces inhibitions and gives children a voice that enables them to express themselves in deeper ways than speech, written language or worksheets can provide.

Creative Mindset is offered as:

After-school & Day Workshops

School & Early Years Incursions

Private Sessions & Support Services

Through art we explore themes & challenges:

Community

Conflict

Emotions

Friendships

Identity

Mindfulness

And share and build strategies that help us:

Identify, analyse and process challenges.
Recognise factors that can and cannot be controlled.
Reflect on their own experiences.
Explore and take ownership of their emotions and actions.
Share and build strategies to overcome challenges.
Make informed decisions independently.
Trust in their CREATIVE capabilities!

Let’s NORMALISE talking about feelings and creatively RESHAPE the way we think about mental health!

Through our VALUES…

Respect and kindness is important - to others, all living things, Country, right down to the materials we use and create with. However, we must show respect and kindness to ourselves too. Each of us have our own story - some more complex than others - but everyone and everything is equal and worthy of the same respect and kindness, ad this includes ourselves!

Everyone’s words, thoughts and feelings matter and are important. We use art to express ourselves freely and to relax our minds. Expression is a powerful tool, which helps us communicate, process and connect. But it does also involve responsiblity. We must be mindful and respectful in how we express ourselves and in the words we use with others.

We are all unique and that is beautiful! Others inspire us but we love and find acceptance in our identities. We are proud of, take care of and are accountable for the person we are and of our ideas and choices. Copying is never an option!
Think about how boring a pack of crayons would be if it was filled with just one colour? Ew!

…we can ACHIEVE

A brighter future for our young people, where open and judgement-free conversations surrounding mental health can be had without stigma, self-doubt or fear of rejection. We want all children to grow up believing and trusting in themselves, their instincts and their skillsets, knowing that it’s ok to love themselves and talk about feelings.

In being creative, we become

CREATIVE

At the core of Artlet’s Creative Mindset program is a focus on ‘self’ and supporting children in their understanding that happiness and positivity is built from the inside out.

Creative Mindset workshops are based on our CREATIVE Capabilities Model and develop children’s abilities to be CREATIVE - within themselves, their thinking, their processes and their problem solving.

By strengthening mental foundations and establishing our creators with a positive sense of self earlier in life, Creative Mindset better prepares young children to cope and thrive through their adolescent years and beyond.

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People with high self-esteem have confidence in themselves; are able to accept and learn from their own mistakes; confront or eliminate the things that frighten them; and be open and assertive in communicating their needs.

World Health Organisation
Students with well-developed social and emotional skills find it easier to manage themselves, relate to others, develop resilience and a sense of self-worth, resolve conflict, engage in teamwork and feel positive about themselves and the world around them. The development of personal and social capability is a foundation for learning and for citizenship. [...] When students develop their skills in any one of these elements, it leads to greater overall personal and social capability, and also enhances their skills in the other elements. In particular, the more students learn about their own emotions, values, strengths and capacities, the more they are able to manage their own emotions and behaviours, and to understand others and establish and maintain positive relationships.

Acara, Personal and Social Capability
At a time when creative thinking and problem solving is paramount, hands-on learning is exactly what is needed. Art and design engage young learners and provide them with the tools necessary for shaping and strengthening their abilities, which can be adapted and applied to all areas of their learning and development.

Georgina McDonald, Founder of Artlet
Good mental health and wellbeing enables children to reach their full potential, experience fulfilling relationships, and adapt and cope with challenging circumstances. We know that mental health challenges often begin during childhood and if left unattended they can lead to poor outcomes in adulthood. Early intervention and prevention, with a focus on children and their families, is key to improving positive lifelong mental health and wellbeing outcomes.

The National Children’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy Report
Art of all kinds acts on our brains in a multi-faceted, dynamic way. Neural networks are formed to achieve heightened, complex states of connectivity. In other words, art can “sculpt” and even “caress” our brains. So when we say a work of art moves us, that is physically the case.

Neuroscientist Pierre Lemarquis, Art That Heals

Take a peek at our…

Our program’s eight CREATIVE Capabilities collectively contribute to the establishment of healthy mindsets and positive self-esteem and are integral to positive social, emotional and mental development. They deeply influence the way children interact within themselves, with others and with the world around them. Strengthening CREATIVE Capabilities early in children builds them with a stronger sense of self and agency and equips them with the security to cope and manage challenges as they grow throughout their adolescent and adult years. (See our framework image below!)

Using a multidisciplinary approach, our program and workshops have been developed in consultation with Brisbane-based developmental specialists and Subject Matter Experts to ensure our learning design and practices are evidence-based, purposeful and relevant.

Designed in response to The National Children’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy (2021), this Creative Mindset program and workshops are informed by Australian, Queensland, Independent and Catholic schools’ Wellbeing Frameworks and align with ACARA’s General Capabilities (see Creative Mindset & ACARA Alignment Table, p16).

Safeguarding children is our top priority. Artlet implements a Child and Youth Risk Management Strategy and follows strict risk assessment procedures for all workshops. All Artlet employees hold current Blue Cards (and exemption cards) and have completed compulsory Student Protection training for the schools we work within.
Due to the therapeutic nature of art, we are aware that practical workshops may trigger various responses or traumas of students. In the event that personal or confidential information is shared during our workshops, our employees are trained to respond appropriately and report information to your school in accordance with mandatory reporting obligations and Student Protection guidelines.

Artlet fosters a safe, supportive environment that promotes respectful and kind behaviour always. Our environment expectations are made explicit through our positive teaching and learning practices.

Creative Mindset workshops centralise around six common themes that influence and shape children’s social, emotional and mental health and development as they grow. These include: Community, Conflict, Emotions, Friendship, Identity and Mindfulness. Within each of our themes, our team have designed creative and practical workshops that use art to support children in processing and managing challenges they face within themselves or their community. Creative Mindset workshops/themes are NOT sequential and can be delivered in any order.

+ 2 hour workshops (dependant on group size)
+ ALL art materials (just BYO your eagerness to create!)
+ We come to you! Our team delivers your workshop at your location - including set up and clean up!
+ A creation that can be used for display or follow up discussion and for creators to keep!
+ Risk Assessments and our team are trained in our safeguarding procedures outlined in our Child and Youth Risk Management Strategy
+ Our team of qualified and experienced educators and facilitators all hold Blue Cards
+ Quality guidance and support for your staff and students.
+ Workshops are flexible and can be tailored to suit your needs and class sizes - small intervention groups / 1:1 sessions / whole class / school sessions.
+ Artlet workshops are covered by NRMA Business Insurance ($20M)

WANT TO TEAM UP? School and corporate partnerships are available!
Have Artlet at your school on a more consistent basis! Packages are available for embedding Creative Mindset workshops or our CREATIVE Framework into your organisation’s curriculum or as an ongoing intervention service for your students. Get in touch today! artletkids@gmail.com

Creative Mindset incursions offer…

QUALITY GUIDANCE

Artlet fosters a respectful, supportive environment that promotes respectful and kind behaviour always. Delivered in-school by our team of qualified and experienced educators and workshop facilitators, our expectations are made explicit through our positive teaching and learning practices.

PERSONALISED EXPERIENCES

Flexible delivery options are available for you to tailor your creative mindset workskhop. This ensures your school and class needs are catered for - from intervention groups to whole class sessions.

MIXED MEDIUMS

Our workshops plan for and provide a wide range of media, tools and processes for children to explore and experiment with to enrich critical and creative thinking skills, reflection, introspection and problem solving.

A MULTIDISCIPLINARY APPROACH

In consultation with child specialists and Subject Matter Experts including Art Therapists, Artlet applies a multidisciplinary approach to learning design to ensure our practices are evidence-based, purposeful and relevant.

EXPERT LEARNING DESIGN

Arltet’s practical and visual approach to learning ensures understanding is enhanced, engagement is maximised and accessibility is provided for all learners.

SAFE, RESPECTFUL ENVIRONMENTS

Through our effective art-based approach, we provide opportunities for our learners to slow down, listen, reflect and make sense of themselves, their emotions and the world they live in. ‘Conversational art’ supports learners in lowering inhibitions while maximising engagement.

What drives us…

The alarming Australian Youth Mental Health statistics highlight the pressing need for improved practices across education and healthcare and drive us to do better for our children. To pave the way for a much brighter future and more positive outcomes for young children, Artlet is committed to supporting the National Children’s Mental Health Strategy (2021), and endeavours to provide quality wellbeing support and intervention early, during children’s most formative and crucial years of development.