Art at the Heart CIC is a not for profit organisation that uses arts and cultural learning to empower people and build stronger communities:

• We work with all ages to support positive mental health and well-being.
• We work with children to develop healthy self-esteem and problem solving skills.
• We work with young people to develop employability skills.
• We work with adults to reduce loneliness and isolation.
• We help build stronger communities by developing empathy for other cultures through cultural awareness projects.

Background

Alarmed by the rising levels of mental health issues in children and young people Kamaljit Suman and Mukesh Kumar decided they needed to act. In 25 years in post 16 education, they had witnessed time and time again how arts and cultural education impacted positively on lives, not just in providing a career path, but in other, more subtle ways too. Giving people the skills to imagine and then make is an incredibly empowering force. The realisation that this mindset extends to any problem increases the capacity of people to act to improve their lives. 

Grounded in real world practice, with award winning results, Kamaljit and Mukesh set up Art at the Heart CIC to work with communities, employers and schools to embed the arts into everyday life. Arts and culture can play a preventative role against some of society’s challenges assisting with reducing stress, increasing wellbeing and creative problem solving.