Teaching wellbeing in performing arts education is essential for students' mental health. The field's demands can lead to stress, requiring coping strategies and resilience. Integrating wellbeing fosters self-understanding, creativity, and collaboration. Prioritising wellbeing helps educators create a supportive environment that encourages risk-taking and self-expression, enhancing artistic development and preparing students for professional challenges.
We spend so long preparing ourselves for the physical and practical skills required to launch a career in the performing arts, but can often lack the opportunity to develop the mental skills necessary to sustain our career.
The Wellbeing Curriculum and Graduation Toolkit
Teaching mental health skills during training in the performing arts is absolutely essential for effectively preparing students to navigate the unique and often challenging demands of the industry.
The wellbeing curriculum, which has been thoughtfully developed by AFT and Crystal Nicholls, equips students with vital tools, strategies, and techniques to support their mental health not only throughout their training but also into their future careers. By integrating these essential skills into their education, pupils learn how to manage stress effectively, build resilience, and maintain a balanced perspective on their craft even in the face of adversity. This is facilitated through a series of 18 workshops across an academic year.
Additionally, The Graduation Toolkit , developed by AFT and Laura White, offers graduates an array of valuable resources to help them sustain their wellbeing as they transition into the workforce, enabling them to support themselves during job searches and ultimately foster long, productive, and healthy careers. This comprehensive approach not only significantly enhances individual performance but also contributes to cultivating a more supportive and sustainable arts community overall. This is facilitated through one four hour workshop in the graduating year.
If you would like to know more about these initiative, please get in touch using the buttons below.
