Director's Blog - March 2024 | Blog y Cyfarwyddwr - Mawrth 2024
28/03/2024 | Author: Angela
Angela's blog has lots of news this month - from international networking to training to goodbyes. | Ceir llawer o newyddion ym mlog Angela y mis hwn – o rwydweithio rhyngwladol i hyfforddi, i ffarwelio.
Dear colleagues,
Spring is finally springing! I hope you are managing to get some time outdoors in between all the rain we’ve been having. We spent this morning at our March Network Meeting listening to two inspirational companies who deliver creative nature and health programmes – the Fathom Trust who deliver in Powys and Coed Lleol who deliver in many locations across the country.
It was a pleasure to welcome and spend 3 full days with an inspiring delegation of women from Flanders this month, including ministerial and policy advisors: creative practitioners and care home managers. The delegates fed back that their visit was inspiring to learn about our Arts and Health policy and practice in Wales. We were fascinated to see how they used ‘wild crotchet’ to stay focused and absorb information during presentations over 3 days. We look forward to welcoming them to share reflections from their visit at a forthcoming networking event.
A special think to all our partners and colleagues in North Wales who hosted and presented, including:
Ty Pawb: Yolanda and Emily, North Wales Multi Cultural Hub; Heather Wilson, Engagement Officer Ty Pawb; Nina Ruddle, Head of Public Programmes and Policy, Wrexham Glyndwr University.
Ruthin Craft Centre: Rebecca Hardy-Griffith, ACW; Sioned Phillips and artist Nigel Hurlstone; Teri Howson-Griffiths, BCUHB; Sian Fitzgerald Denbighshire Leisure Ltd and artist Jude Wood.
Pontio: Mared Huws, BLAS; National Dance Company Wales’ Angharad Harrop and musician Helen Wyn Pari; artist Iola Ynyr - Ar y Dibyn programme.
Nyth, Franwen: GISDA, Ambiant Jam (Galeri, Caernarfon).
News that Sally Lewis, Portfolio Manager for Arts & Health will be leaving ACW after 18 years comes with some sadness for us - Sally has been a key driver in visioning and growing Arts and Health in Wales – we have come so far in the past 10 years. Key milestones have been the MOU between ACW and Welsh NHS Confederation; the national HARP programme, a dedicated arts health and wellbeing Lottery fund supporting arts and health partnerships and the national Arts & Minds Programme; and the capacity enabling an Arts and Health Coordinator to be embedded in every health board
We spent a little time with Sally before she finished up to reflect on her journey. We encourage all our members to watch this short interview with her. We wish her all the best in whatever she plans to do next.
Our 2024 programme of Creative Health Marketplaces has gotten off to a great start, with a good turnout in Bridgend and Carmarthenshire. As one participant put it “You just can’t beat getting in a room with people who are in the same sector as you and having time to connect and chat.” Marketplaces are a great way to network, find out about work and funding opportunities and to share your work. We will be in Newport at The Place on 17th April 1.30-3pm. You can book your free place here.
Our Training programme has been filling quickly. We still have 2 spaces left on our 2-day facilitator Training in Reflective Practice on 23 & 24 April. Our second round of Strategies for Wellbeing training for organisations will take place on 1st and 8th May. Feedback from the first round: “This is a great training programme to learn not only from people at WAHWN that have vast knowledge in the field, but also to interact and learn from others in the arts sector. It’s given me ideas for how we support both artists and ourselves.”
Public Health Wales will deliver a short training session on Health Impact Assessment on 9th May, and we are delighted that both our courses on Most Significant Change with Nick Andrews, Swansea University have sold out. If there is more appetite for this, we will arrange further training in the Autumn.
WAHWN attended Public Health Wales’ Hapus workshop this week to explore what opportunities there will be for our sector to engage with this national campaign. Following agreement with Welsh Government Public Health Wales are now working towards an early summer launch of their "national conversation on mental wellbeing". The workshop was an opportunity to form additional connections across the system, including between national Hapus Partners, local public health teams and academics working in Wales.
And finally, a reminder that our guest for the April Network Meeting will be Emily van de Venter, Lead Consultant for Mental Health at Public Health Wales. We will explore how best we can respond as a sector to Welsh Government’s Draft Mental Health Strategy. If your delivery is connected to mental wellbeing in any way, we highly recommend you join us so that as many voices are heard in response to the consultation. If you can’t make the live event, please register for it and you will receive a link to the recording so you can catch up in your own time. The deadline for responding to the is 11th June.
Creativity and Wellbeing Week is coming up in May 2024 – please send us news and resources which we can help promote. You are able to upload any news or opportunities about your work directly to our website, you just need to log in here using your member details.
Wishing you all a gentle ease into Spring,
Onwards and upwards,
Angela
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Annwyl gydweithwyr,
Daeth y gwanwyn o’r diwedd! Gobeithio eich bod yn llwyddo i dreulio amser yn yr awyr agored rhwng yr holl law yma. Fe dreulion ni’r bore ‘ma yng Nghyfarfod Rhwydwaith mis Mawrth yn gwrando ar ddau gwmni ysbrydoledig sy’n cyflwyno rhaglenni natur greadigol ac iechyd – Ymddiriedolaeth Fathom ym Mhowys a Coed Lleol mewn lleoliadau niferus ar draws y wlad.
Roedd yn bleser croesawu a threulio tridiau llawn gyda dirprwyaeth ysbrydoledig o Fflandrys y mis hwn, gan gynnwys ymgynghorwyr gweinidogol a pholisi: ymarferwyr creadigol a rheolwyr cartrefi gofal. Cafwyd adborth gan y cynrychiolwyr eu bod yn teimlo wedi’u hysbrydoli yn ystod eu hymweliad wrth glywed am ein polisi ac ymarfer o ran y Celfyddydau ac Iechyd yng Nghymru. Roedd yn ddifyr gweld sut roedden nhw’n defnyddio ‘crochet gwyllt’ i gadw ffocws ac amsugno gwybodaeth yn ystod y cyflwyniadau dros dri diwrnod. Edrychwn ymlaen at eu croesawu i rannu myfyrdodau o’u hymweliad mewn digwyddiad rhwydweithio sydd ar y gweill.
Diolch arbennig i’n holl bartneriaid a chydweithwyr yn y gogledd a fu’n cynnal ac yn cyflwyno, gan gynnwys:
Tŷ Pawb: Yolanda ac Emily, Hyb Amlddiwylliannol Gogledd Cymru; Heather Wilson, Swyddog Ymgysylltu Tŷ Pawb; Nina Ruddle, Pennaeth Rhaglenni a Pholisi Cyhoeddus, Prifysgol Glyndŵr Wrecsam.
Canolfan Grefft Rhuthun: Rebecca Hardy-Griffith, CCC; Sioned Phillips a’r artist Nigel Hurlstone; Teri Howson-Griffiths, BIPBC; Sian Fitzgerald Denbighshire Leisure Ltd a’r artist Jude Wood.
Pontio: Mared Huws, BLAS; Angharad Harrop a’r cerddor Helen Wyn Pari o Gwmni Dawns Cenedlaethol Cymru; yr artist Iola Ynyr - rhaglen Ar y Dibyn.
Nyth, Fran Wen: GISDA, Ambiant Jam (Galeri, Caernarfon).
Roeddem yn drist i glywed bod Sally Lewis, Rheolwr y Portffolio Celfyddydau ac Iechyd yn gadael CCC ar ôl 18 mlynedd – mae Sally wedi bod yn ysgogiad allweddol o ran gweledigaeth a meithrin y Celfyddydau ac Iechyd yng Nghymru – rydyn ni wedi dod mor bell dros y 10 mlynedd ddiwethaf. Ymhlith y cerrig milltir allweddol mae’r Memorandwm Cyd-ddealltwriaeth rhwng CCC a Chonffederasiwn GIG Cymru; rhaglen genedlaethol HARP, cronfa Loteri bwrpasol ar gyfer y celfyddydau iechyd a llesiant sy’n cefnogi partneriaethau celfyddydau ac iechyd a Rhaglen genedlaethol Arts & Minds; a’r gallu i osod Cydlynydd Celfyddydau ac Iechyd ym mhob bwrdd iechyd.
Cyn iddi adael cawsom dreulio ychydig amser gyda Sally i fyfyrio ar ei thaith. Anogwn ein haelodau i wylio’r cyfweliad byr gyda hi. Dymunwn y gorau iddi gyda beth bynnag y bydd yn ei wneud nesaf.
Mae rhaglen Marchnadoedd Iechyd Creadigol 2024 wedi dechrau’n wych, gyda nifer dda’n dod i Ben-y-bont a Sir Gâr. Fel y dywedodd un cyfranogwr “Does dim yn well na bod mewn ystafell gyda phobl o’r un sector â chi a chael amser i gysylltu a sgwrsio.” Mae’r marchnadoedd yn ffordd wych i rwydweithio, dysgu am gyfleoedd gwaith a chyllid a rhannu eich gwaith. Byddwn yng Nghasnewydd yn The Place ar 17 Ebrill 1.30-3pm. Gallwch gadw lle am ddim yma.
Mae ein rhaglen Hyfforddiant wedi bod yn llenwi’n gyflym. Mae dau le ar ôl o hyd ar yr Hyfforddiant deuddydd i hwyluswyr mewn Ymarfer Myfyriol ar 23 a 24 Ebrill. Cynhelir ail gylch yr hyfforddiant Strategaeth Llesiant i sefydliadau ar 1 ac 8 Mai. Mae llefydd ar gael yma. Dyma adborth o’r cylch cyntaf: “Mae hon yn rhaglen hyfforddi wych i ddysgu nid yn unig gan bobl yn WAHWN sydd â gwybodaeth aruthrol yn y maes, ond hefyd i ryngweithio a dysgu gan eraill yn sector y celfyddydau. Mae wedi rhoi syniadau i fi am sut i gefnogi artistiaid a ni ein hunain.”
Bydd Iechyd Cyhoeddus Cymru’n cyflwyno sesiwn hyfforddi fer ar Asesu Effaith Iechyd ar 9 Mai – archebwch le yma, ac rydyn ni wrth ein bodd fod y ddau gwrs ar Newid Mwyaf Sylweddol gyda Nick Andrews, Prifysgol Abertawe wedi gwerthu allan. Os oes mwy o awydd am hyn, fe drefnwn ragor o hyfforddiant yn yr hydref.
Aeth WAHWN i weithdy Hapus Iechyd Cyhoeddus Cymru yr wythnos hon i weld pa gyfleoedd sydd ar gael i’r sector ymgysylltu â’r ymgyrch genedlaethol. Yn dilyn cytundeb gyda Llywodraeth Cymru mae Iechyd Cyhoeddus Cymru yn gweithio at lansio eu ‘sgwrs genedlaethol ar lesiant meddwl’ ddechrau’r haf. Roedd y gweithdy’n gyfle i greu cysylltiadau ychwanegol ar draws y system, gan gynnwys rhwng Partneriaid cenedlaethol Hapus, timau iechyd lleol ac academyddion yn gweithio yng Nghymru.
Ac yn olaf, gair i’ch atgoffa mai’r gwestai yng Nghyfarfod Rhwydwaith mis Ebrill fydd Emily van de Venter, Ymgynghorydd Arweiniol ar Iechyd Meddwl yn Iechyd Cyhoeddus Cymru. Byddwn yn ystyried y ffordd orau i ymateb fel sector i Strategaeth Iechyd Meddwl Ddrafft Llywodraeth Cymru. Os yw eich gwaith yn gysylltiedig â lles meddwl mewn unrhyw ffordd, rydyn ni’n argymell yn gryf eich bod yn ymuno â ni er mwyn i gynifer o leisiau â phosib gael eu clywed mewn ymateb i’r ymgynghoriad. Os na allwch ddod i’r digwyddiad byw, cofrestrwch ac fe fyddwch yn derbyn dolen i’r recordiad i chi gael ei wylio yn eich amser eich hun. Y dyddiad cau ar gyfer ymateb yw 11 Mehefin.
Cynhelir Wythnos Creadigrwydd a Llesiant ym mis Mai 2024 – anfonwch newyddion ac adnoddau atom er mwyn i ni helpu i’w hyrwyddo. Gallwch uwchlwytho unrhyw newyddion neu gyfleoedd am eich gwaith yn uniongyrchol i’r wefan, mewngofnodwch yma gyda’ch manylion aelodaeth.
Gan ddymuno gwanwyn dymunol i chi i gyd,
Ymlaen,
Angela
