Help us raise £3,000 between 29th November and 6th December to support young people

Independent Arts is hoping to raise £3,000 between midday on Tuesday 29th November and midday Tuesday 6th December to give a voice to young people on the Isle of Wight, particularly those at risk of poor mental health.

The charity is raising funds online via the Big Give Christmas Challenge to extend the successful Supporting Young Minds programme which enables young people – aged ten to 18 – to create place-changing pieces of public art that make the towns in which they live and go to school more welcoming to young people.

Already a group in the Bay (Sandown & Lake) and a group in Newport are enjoying the challenge of learning how to write a brief, commission an artist and get their voices heard on matters that mean the most to them. This hugely empowering project aims to get young people to be active, creative and inspired, particularly by the IW Biosphere.

Donations to Supporting Young Minds will be generously matched by The Big Give’s Champions during the campaign, meaning any money you donate can support twice as many young people at risk of poor mental health on the Isle of Wight.

To get this far, Independent Arts has raised pledges of £1,500 from close supporters who have seen first-hand how the charity supports young people. A further £1,500 had been offered by the Reed Foundation, but only if Independent Arts raises £3,000 online via https://bit.ly/indyarts during the week-long campaign.

Ralph Ridler, Fundraising Manager at Independent Arts says: “This year we’re looking to raise a total of £6,000. In order to access the £3,000 we have in the matching pot, we need to raise £3,000 in online donations in one week. We hope everyone will give generously this year to help us reach our target and enable us to carry on the work we all feel so passionately about.”

Peta Rainford, Programme Manager for Supporting Young Minds says: “We have been so impressed by the way the young people in the current programme have embraced the challenges thrown at them and have grown in confidence whilst learning new skills and making new friends. Many have told us how they don’t usually feel listened to, and how empowering they have found this project to be. It would be wonderful to be able to open this project up to more young people on the Island.”

Jaeden, who is already taking part in the Sandown and Lake project, encourages everyone to support the campaign so that more island young people can benefit: “Funding for projects like this really get our voice heard and allow us to change things we otherwise wouldn’t be able to.”

If you would like to make a donation, visit theBigGive.org.uk and make a donation here https://bit.ly/indyarts from midday Tuesday 29th November until midday Tuesday 6th December. You can add a reminder and add Independent Arts’ campaign page https://bit.ly/indyarts to it, so you remember not to miss your chance to double your donation!

For more information, please contact Ralph.