Launched in response to coronavirus, A New Direction partnered with Crafts Council and Mayors Fund for London to assemble and deliver thousands of Let’s Create and Let's Craft arts packs to children across London.
The packs aimed to keep children and young people creative, and included high-quality arts materials such as paints, pens and paper, along with learning resources and activities for children to try out at home. Arts and textiles teacher Andria Zafirakou, winner of the 2018 Global Teacher Prize, created a resource for the packs which you can download here.
In Summer 2020 and Autumn 2021 we delivered a total of 8,300 packs of arts supplies to 109 different hubs across 15 London boroughs. In deliveries made in October 2020, we also included a range of resources from across the cultural sector, linking to our Half Term Boredom Buster blog which you can read here.
In Spring 2021, we linked an additional 280 packs to our I Am Festival and delivered a range of sensory materials to students at SEND settings across London.
To distribute the Let’s Create packs, A New Direction worked with Kitchen Social – a food provision programme run by Mayor’s Fund for London – alongside other local partners including Specialist Crafts, West Design, Berkeley Homes, Hobbycraft and Camden Town Brewery who generously provided supplies, and helped with assembly and logistics.
One small child didn't want to wait until she got home – she told staff 'I want to start drawing now!' Her dad told us that she wants to draw all the time and that it was amazing to get such lovely stuff. Another child told us 'everything is in this box'
- Islington Play Association (one of the delivery sites)
We're currently seeking further funding for the programme and hope to continue in the coming months. Sign up to our newsletter to stay up to date.
