Children Learn Resilience Through Art in Belfast Schools

Nettlefield Primary School in Belfast partners with Young at Art on the Resilient Child programme, teaching children resilience through creative arts to help them adapt post-pandemic. Their work was showcased at Ulster University, highlighting the importance of resilience in education.

Understanding Resilience Through Children's Eyes

"When you find something hard, you keep on going."

This is how nine-year-old Phoebe, a pupil at Nettlefield Primary School in Belfast, defines resilience.

The school is currently midway through a three-year initiative called Resilient Child, delivered in partnership with the local charity Young at Art.

Phoebe shared that the classes have helped her learn how to approach and overcome challenging tasks.

The Resilient Child programme is designed to teach children resilience by engaging them in art, expression, and creativity.

Eibhlín de Barra, from Young at Art, explained that the programme was developed in response to a recognised need among teachers to strengthen resilience in children following the Covid-19 pandemic.

Woman wearing grey hoodie who has short brown hair is smiling at camera. There is a big neon orange letter Y behind her which is a piece of artwork. — Eibhlín De Barra, director of Young at Art says resilience isn't about having a thick skin

Challenges in Peer Interaction Post-Pandemic

"All the challenges that the young people were facing were still there but they were exacerbated,"

de Barra said.

She described how Resilient Child was created to support children adapting to a changed environment. As children returned to classrooms, difficulties arose in peer-to-peer interaction, socialisation, and settling back into the school year.

"They were really afraid of failing and making mistakes."

The programme operates across six schools in Belfast, focusing primarily on lower-income areas.

Defining Resilience

De Barra noted that resilience is sometimes misunderstood as simply having a thick skin, which can carry a negative connotation.

"We see it as having a set of skills to help you be adaptable to a situation.

If you are resilient, it means you are much better to fill your full potential and much better to have a hopeful mindset for your future."

Children from Primary 4 and Primary 5 participating in the programme had their artwork exhibited at Ulster University.

Scarlett, another nine-year-old participant, expressed that her favourite part of the classes was drawing and that she has learned extensively about art and nature.

"When you keep pushing hard,"

she said when asked what resilience means to her.

Scarlett described feeling proud and excited to share the exhibition with her family.

Child age 9 is smiling at camera, she is in her school hallway. — Scarlett, aged nine, also attends the Resilient child classes with her friend Phoebe

Art Facilitation and Learning Process

Duncan Ross, an art facilitator, assisted the children in creating their exhibition pieces.

The exhibition features brightly painted boxes, some evoking themes of nature, joy, and playfulness.

Ross emphasized focusing on the creative process rather than the final product.

"I gave them one colour at a time, and they had to wait until that colour dried before coming back next week and putting another colour on top.

It teaches patience and that you don't get the result you want straight away."

He also incorporated activities requiring sharing resources and working in various group sizes, encouraging negotiation and cooperation among the children.

Ross highlighted that these interactions and challenges are significant lessons in building resilience.

Another featured artwork consists of large scrolls covered with black lines and squiggles, created using pencils attached to long sticks.

"They're drawing standing up, they have new ways of thinking about how to make images and represent ideas, they have to adapt and be put out of their comfort zone, physically they have to work out their space next to each other."

Colourful square boxes that have been painted on by school children. They are all stacked together in a circle shape. — These stacked boxes are part of the exhibition showcasing the children's work at the Ulster University

A large scroll of white paper is held up by black wooden beams. The children's art work is showcased on the scroll. The artwork is very abstract, lots of black lines and scribbles. — Artwork that the children created with pencils on the end of large sticks

Upon completion of the artwork, discussions focus on how the children could adapt when encountering difficulties and consider others' perspectives.

The Importance of Building Resilience

Simon McClean, principal at Nettlefield Primary School, stressed the importance of such programmes in schools serving lower-income communities.

He noted that since the Covid-19 pandemic, there has been a backlog of children falling behind their peers due to lack of timely therapeutic interventions.

"We want to be empowering future adults to have the skills that they need to be resilient rather than trying to fix them when they do face hardship and then feel burnt out or broken from that."

McClean expressed pride in the children and the exhibition they created.

"Our children in working class places have not always had these opportunities to engage in creativity, imagination and art in a structured way that allows them to have a voice and be accepted."

"We are building the foundations of appreciators of art and appreciators of culture that are coming into the future."

Man with beard smiling at camera — Head teacher Simon McClean is proud of the children

Young at Art has been active since 1998 and organises an annual Children's Festival in Belfast, which spans 10 days and features approximately 150 events, attracting 25,000 to 30,000 visitors citywide.