"Building Futures groups have been working with Gabby during their The Common Ground Collective sessions. We started these during #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek as a great vehicle to enable our young people to express their feelings and emotions through a variety of art mediums, from drawing and painting to clay work. Through the use of these mediums, our young people were able to develop their art skills, self-awareness and self-reflection, and learning new skills to support their mental health on the programme and at home." Emily, Building Futures Manager"

"It has been an absolute honour to work with halow project! halow is a community of deeply caring individuals who share our #1 priority - people's well-being. I have been working with halow to deliver and curate sessions with the aim to stimulate, inspire and transform the participants' well-being through building confidence, practising mindfulness and learning new skills. Each individual is given the opportunity to explore various creative mediums and their therapeutic benefits, a chance to focus on the task at hand and find a moment of peace. At the end of each course, every attendee is gifted their own art kit, which means they can continue to use these self-regulatory art-making skills in their own time at home! Working with the young people from Halow is truly nourishing; seeing the shift in their energy and focus throughout the sessions fills me with so much joy and represents how art can positively impact the lives of those of all ages and abilities!" Gabby, Common Ground Collective

We have had so many positive comments from Young People about their art sessions:

"I have never really been into art but I really enjoyed the clay. I liked the feel of it and it made me relaxed. It is in my kitchen at home."I really enjoyed the sessions with Gabby. I love the art pack and all the activities. I enjoyed drawing superheroes, making animals and pots from clay. I remember making the leaf print from clay also. It made me feel relaxed and got rid of the stress building up inside me, it reduced my anxiety lots."

"It was a different way for me to be creative, I like a different approach to art and I enjoyed it. I felt interested and enthusiastic. "

"It felt good, it was amazing and cool, I like doing the modelling shapes of animals, it was amazing. I made a big owl by myself, I used my hands to create the body, ears, wings, back, eyes and legs. I managed that. I also made a whale shark, and octopus, I enjoyed it very very much, I liked drawing the owl and calming and being relaxed."

"I don't really like doing art, but I really like this, it is so calming and relaxing."

"I liked working with Gabi it was relaxing. I made a dolphin and a pot (with clay) it was fantastic! "

"I liked art with Gabi because it is fun. I made a pot. I enjoy the painting, I used red to do circles. "

"I liked all of the art. The first thing we did was painting and drawing things that were in our head and dreams. I did a rainbow and a circle. After we did clay, we did pots and cups. "

"I made things out of clay. I made a plant pot, I am not sure what plant I will put in it. I found clay especially therapeutic.

""I found it stressful. At first I found it stressful to draw my stress. I drew a safari truck and a whale. That was better. Then I drew an elephant picture and made it into clay with the tools. I liked using the clay. ""I liked doing the different clays. I made a pepper pot. I love art it was fantastic. "

"I felt working with Gabi was amazing! When I do my drawing, painting and clay work Gabbi always says fantastic, well done. I really enjoyed all of it! "I think we can all say that Building Futures had a wonderful time! Thank you Gabby #LearningDisabilityWeek#LDArtWeek