In the spring of 2023 we ran a pilot project called ‘Anime Club’ for young people aged between 11 – 16 in response to feedback we had compiled highlighting the lack of provision for this alternative (and rapidly growing) youth interest in the city. We felt that the Anime Club would support the mental wellbeing needs of young people in the city, in particular young people who are vulnerable due to their mental health needs.
Anime encourages creativity and a big part of the attraction of Anime for young people is in creating various content like fan-fiction stories, fan art and cosplay costumes and props as well as spending time together watching and talking about Anime films and series.
The funding enabled us to run 6 sessions; these were fortnightly, lasting for two hours at The Herbert Art Gallery and Museum as a central accessible location.
The sessions included activity zones for those attending to move between, based on their preferences and sensory needs.
Zones included
Chill out zone: film screening of an anime series/film
Game zone: tabletop board games zone
Art zone: manga drawing/visual arts
Craft zone: anime/manga crafting