Kinship Creativity Project
Kinship Creativity is our long-term creative work with kinship families in Sunderland, developed with More Than Grandparents. Through music, performance and shared making, we create welcoming, trauma-aware spaces where children and carers can connect, build confidence and express themselves together.
Kinship families often take on caring responsibilities unexpectedly, often with limited financial support. Children may be living with the impact of trauma or disrupted education. Together, this can make confidence, connection and access to cultural opportunities much harder.
Our work responds by removing barriers; all activity is free, locally based, and designed so that cost is not the thing that stops someone taking part. Sessions are flexible, relationship-led and shaped around what families need.
“It’s been brilliant to see our kinship children having so much fun! They’ve often been through a lot in their young lives and this gives them the opportunity to connect through music and enjoy themselves.”
What we do
Kinship Creativity takes a number of forms, shaped by the families themselves:
Music-making sessions
Kinship Panto Project
Creative Advocacy
Creative projects, such as Kinship Kids (above), where kinship families work with artists to co-create work that celebrates kinship families’ experiences and shares them in positive, public ways.
An annual project where children and carers co-create and perform an original pantomime, shaping everything from story to set, music and performance.
Inclusive sessions using music, storytelling and making to support connection, confidence and wellbeing. Sessions have included: song-writing, early years music and Kinship Choir.
Why it matters
Connection: Kinship Creativity creates space for families to spend time together in a different way — through shared creative activity. Sessions are relaxed, welcoming and shaped around what feels comfortable, allowing relationships to grow over time.
Families also connect with others in similar situations, building peer support and reducing isolation.
Expression: Through music, performance and making, children and carers are supported to express themselves creatively, often in ways they haven’t had the opportunity to before.
Whether it’s writing a song, creating a character or performing together, participants can explore ideas, build confidence and share their voice in a positive, supported environment.
Progression: For some young people, Kinship Creativity is a first step into wider cultural opportunities. By removing financial barriers and building trusted relationships, we support those who want to continue to connect with other WMC programmes.
We are already seeing young people begin to move into our wider work, creating pathways into longer-term participation.