Social Impact
How one of Awen’s Associate Artists has been working with fathers in custody and their families.
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Awen’s Associate Artist Jason Hicks has been creating opportunities with fathers in custody and their families in Cardiff Prison and HM Prison Parc in Bridgend through a partnership with their ground-breaking Invisible Walls project.
Established in 2006 and originally called Parc Supporting Families, the multi-award-winning Invisible Walls provides family-focused interventions within prison visiting halls for fathers in custody and their children, to maintain relationships and aid resettlement and restoration after release.
You can read more about Invisible Walls here: https://invisiblewalls.co.uk/
Eight families, including almost 20 children aged 3-14 years old, attended a creative session at both Cardiff and HM Prison Parc run by artist and maker Jason, who has over 20 years’ experience creating props and sets for projects including Doctor Who, Isle of Dogs, and His Dark Materials.
Providing a selection of arts materials for families to choose from, the session sensitively balanced time for families to catch up together, alongside opportunities to create as a team. This included making a takeaway craft activity for the children and a ‘blow football’ game to play together.
Jason said:
“The events went really well, and the atmosphere was great. My approach was to sit back and wait until people were ready to partake in the workshop as the last thing I wanted to do was dilute the valuable quality time they had together. But it was encouraging to hear that the families were all thrilled to have the opportunity to take part in fun and games that they really do miss, and that I brought a bit of magic into their time together.”
Julie Jones, Schools and Prisons Manager at Invisible Walls added:
“A big thank you to Jason and Awen for thinking of us and allowing some joy to be brought into the prison. We would love to continue working with you, and all the activities were spot on for the families we work with.
“The stigma and grief of having a parent in prison can significantly affect children’s mental and emotional wellbeing, and the work Invisible Walls does in providing mentoring, counselling, support and relational opportunities is key to breaking the cycle of offending and restoring families when sentences have been completed.”
Feedback from the families taking part included:
“I think Jason did a great job with good activities on offer. There was something the whole family could enjoy. It was great to interact with the children and have the experience of making things together.”
“I liked having a different choice of activities to do and take part in. I would like to take part in the craft again and have something different to do each time. The children really enjoyed and we loved it!”
Colleagues at Awen have worked with Invisible Wales as part of the Bridgend Children’s Literature Festival and they will be exhibiting an environmental arts project ‘Sea Stories’ at this year’s Seascape festival in Porthcawl on 30th and 31st May.
Awen’s Associate Artist programme is funded by Arts Council Wales. If you would like to join our second round, aimed at those currently under-represented within Awen and the creative and cultural sector, click here for more information.
We are looking for applicants for three new freelance positions from artists of any discipline who identify as Deaf, disabled or neurodiverse, part of the global majority, queer/trans or and/or a Welsh speaker.
