Springboard Studios

Can participation in non-assessed, altruistic, creative learning experiences in blue spaces, contribute to improved mental health and wellbeing within the 3rd year student population and support their transition from university into employment?

Springboard Studios research project patterns on the sand

Project details

Project leads Anna Mankee-Williams
Centre alignment Centre for Arts & Health
Start date July 2020
End date December 2023

Can participation in non-assessed, altruistic, creative learning experiences in blue spaces, contribute to improved mental health and wellbeing within the 3rd year student population and support their transition from university into employment? Can a creative programme predicated on this approach improve students non-clinical and non-acute mental health, develop agency and social capital, helping them to stay at university and progress into a creative career, by giving them hope and professional confidence.

Springboard Studios

The Falmouth University Springboard Studios (SBS) HealthWorks Cornwall programme identified non-acute and non-clinical mental health conditions as one of two main barriers preventing our students from progressing into the creative industries after graduating.  

Furthermore, a lack of high-quality & professional creative industry experience, that both evidences their application of their creativity in a professional context, being the other barrier.  Both factors have been exacerbated by the pandemic. 

As outlined in our original bid, our approach used the evidence that the engagement non-assessed, place-based and altruistic creative learning experiences that are unique to Cornwall, can improve our student’s mental health and wellbeing.  

Furthermore, giving them the opportunity to work on creative, high-quality, transdisciplinary, professional, collaborative, placed-based & altruistic briefs for local charities can develop agency, social capital and professional confidence to support progression into creative careers after graduating. 

Project aim

Can engagement in non-assessed, place-based, blue-space and altruistic creative learning experiences improve students mental health and wellbeing, and progression in to work? 

Can the opportunity to work on creative, high-quality, transdisciplinary, professional, collaborative, placed-based & altruistic briefs for local charities develop agency, social capital, and professional confidence to support progression into creative careers after completing a creative undergraduate course in Cornwall? 

Project context

Place-based learning, to better engage students and attain three important goals of education: student agency, equity, and community. 

Builds on the work of Associate Professor, Daisy Fancourt whose research focuses on health, loneliness, social isolation, community assets, arts and cultural engagement, and social prescribing. 

Embeds the Five Steps to wellbeing in creative learning experiences, NHS, Blue Mind, by Professor Wallace Nichols, explores the science that demonstrates how proximity to water can improve performance, increase calm, diminish anxiety, and increase professional success, by developing a Blue Mind, one that is creative, connected, curious, calm, and collaborative. A unique asset to Falmouth, a HEI surrounded by water. 

Project process

Over two and a half years we co-designed a series of non-assessed, creative, learning experiences, embedded with the five steps to wellbeing, targeting level 6 students, which concluded with a year-long programme focusing on place, blue-space and altruistic opportunities. The programme followed design thinking methodology, identifying need through empathising with target participants, defining the specific problems and need through direct consultation with level 6 students, ideating, prototyping and testing learning experiences. 

Project team

Anna Mankee-Williams

Associate Professor, Arts and Health

Anna is an Associate Professor in Arts and Health. Anna has 22 years’ experience in the health sec...

Anna Mankee-Williams

Rob Ingram

Co-opted Professional Services Staff Member

Rob joined Falmouth University as Head of Employability in 2020 charged with developing a new 10-yea...

Rob Ingram
Kamran Harandy profile picture

Kamran Harandy

External Funding Manager

Kamran leads a small team of Research & Knowledge Exchange funding specialists covering the full...

Kamran Harandy

Sasha Dobrota

Lecturer Cultural Management & Production

Sasha has been producing and managing cultural projects, experiences and events for the last fifteen...

Sasha Dobrota
Professor Neil Fox profile picture

Professor Neil Fox

Professor of Film Practice and Pedagogy

As a proud first-generation university graduate from a working-class background in Luton, it is an h...

Professor Neil Fox

Dr Lucy Frears FHEA

Associate Lecturer

Dr Lucy Frears' practice-based research on Locative Media includes immersive sound, memories, phenom...

Dr Lucy Frears FHEA

Steve House

Senior Lecturer

I've spent 16 years working in the creative industry and have been involved in creative education fo...

Steve House

Mark Jenkin

Distinguished Professor of Film Practice at Falmouth University

Distinguished Professor of Film Practice Mark Jenkin is a filmmaker based in West Cornwall. He ha...

Mark Jenkin

Dr Julie Ripley

Course Leader, BA(Hons) Costume Design for Film & TV

Dr Julie Ripley is a senior lecturer and course leader for BA(Hons) Costume Design for Film & TV...

Dr Julie Ripley
Laura Blight headshot

Laura Blight

Lecturer, Commercial Photography BA(Hons)

Laura Blight is a visual practitioner and educator, with a background in commercial stills productio...

Laura Blight

Dr Joanna Henley

Senior Lecturer

I am a marine educator with a PhD in the visual communication of marine science. I joined the M...

Dr Joanna Henley
Josie Purcell
Josie Purcell

Josie Purcell

Thesis title: Cornwall’s ‘Rivercide’ Cyanotypes: can abstract photographic art act as a mediat...

Josie Purcell

Dr Donna Poade

Senior Lecturer in Experience Design (Tourism)

Donna is Senior Lecturer in Experience Design (Tourism) at Cornwall Business School and joined in Au...

Dr Donna Poade
  • Anna Mankee-Williams 
  • Rob Ingram 
  • Kamran Harandy 
  • Sasha Dobrota 
  • Nicola Wotton 
  • Owen Davis 
  • Lauren James 
  • Kamran Harandy
  • Neil Fox 
  • Lucy Frears 
  • Naomi Frears 
  • Dion Star
  • Steve House 
  • Mark Jenkin 
  • Julie Ripley 
  • Peach Doble 
  • Paul Ruskin 
  • Laura Blight 
  • Oli Udy 
  • Joanna Henley 
  • Josie Purcell 
  • Simon Poole 
  • Donna Poade 

Partners

Funders

European Social Fund, via Cornwall Council:

  • Value of project: £340,000 
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European Union: European Social Fund

Each year the ESF helps millions of Europeans improve their lives by learning new skills and finding...

European Union: European Social Fund
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Cornwall Council logo

Cornwall Council

Cornwall Council's commitment is to work with the people of Cornwall and use resources wisely to pro...

Cornwall Council

Outcomes & outputs

  • 220 students participated, with 80 evidencing their ability to look for graduated entry level work, four weeks after completing their course.
  • 6 paid interns.
  • 1 film.
  • 3 podcasts.
  • Producer presented at Core Academic Training.
  • The final programme called Blue Your Mind, concluded with students working with Alumni, on a brief for internationally acclaimed charity Surfers Against Sewage to help them diversify the membership. One of the campaigns is being used by the charity after all the campaigns were presented to the charity at their request.

Impact & recognition

The participating students have positively evaluated the creative activities both on themselves but also the nuanced impact on their approach to the transition between education and employment. Eighty students successfully searched for employment during the final month of the programme (and many later) within the creative industries. Their experiences, captured on their CV’s with the live brief experiences, added a competitive edge to this crucial transition. 

FXU Student Union President, campaigned for the concept of Springboard Studios being embedded and broadened. Further discussions on longitudinal research establishing the evidence base for the model being deployed to support retention of vulnerable students in their first year of university is being explored.

The main beneficiaries were 3rd year level 6 students.

Project media

Public media for Springboard includes:

Springboard Studios | Sand Painting 2022 ©Jenna Hinton

Listen to our Springboard Studios Podcast

Springboard Studios, Podcast One, with guests Hannah De Oliveira and Phil Green
Springboard Studios, Podcast Two, with guests Dion Star and Steve House
Springboard Studios, Podcast Three, with Guests Anna Mankee-William, Rob Ingram and Kamran Harandy

Project news

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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