Developed through conversations with art teacher Edel Bartley, the collaboration connects young people with professional artists and printmakers to explore creative storytelling through visual art, writing and printmaking. The project reflects a shared commitment among the partner organisations to meaningful community arts engagement and collaborative learning.

Working with Kids’ Own associate artist Lorna Watkins and writer Mary Branley, students explore a range of creative mediums and approaches to expressing their ideas and lived experiences. Their creative work is then developed into a hand-printed publication in collaboration with the team at Pulled, combining contemporary digital processes with traditional printmaking techniques.

Youth-Led Creative Process

The project is guided by Kids’ Own’s long-established youth-led methodology. Participants shape the thematic direction of the work and make decisions about content, layout and presentation. This approach supports young people’s creative agency while encouraging collaborative decision-making and shared authorship.

Throughout the process, students develop artistic, technical and critical skills, including:

• visual and written storytelling

• collaborative creative practice

• printmaking and publication design

• combining digital and handmade production methods

Sustainable Making

Environmental awareness is embedded within the project through the use of slower, small-scale production methods. Working with Pulled enables participants to engage with environmentally conscious print processes, including handmade print runs and sustainable inks and fabrication methods.

Outcomes and Dissemination

The final handmade publication will serve as a platform for young people’s creative voices, sharing their perspectives with their communities and wider audiences.

Kids’ Own will also work with participants to digitise the publication, expanding access through regional and national networks while supporting the young people as active contributors to cultural dialogue.

Context

Supported by Creative Ireland, the project aligns with national priorities to broaden access to the arts, support youth-led participation, and strengthen partnerships between artists, schools and local cultural organisations. It demonstrates how collaborative creative practice can support inclusion, self-expression and sustainable cultural production.

With nearly 30 years’ experience facilitating artist-led projects with children and young people, Kids’ Own manages all aspects of delivery, including partnership coordination, artist engagement, safeguarding processes, project evaluation and dissemination.