Proud in Bradford: Speaking Up at the Creative Health Exchange
CREATE’s Research Fellow Dr Crissie Harney and Project Manager Danelle Lee, along with YPAG members Bhava Raja and Annanya Thumbarthy, recently attended and presented a workshop launching our RESPOND Framework at Bradford City of Culture’s 2025 Creative Health Exchange Conference. It was a wonderful couple of days experiencing Bradford’s passion and leadership in integrating creative health into its communities.
As well as delivering a workshop taster session where public health and arts practitioners, academics, and policymakers explored our interactive seven stage art engagement methodology, our YPAG members also took part in two panel discussions. These conversations focused on the importance of creativity and creative health from birth to adolescence, and Bhava and Annanya shared insights from their work as part of CREATE’s YPAG.
Below you can read about their experiences in their own words.
YPAG member Bhava
I felt so proud to be able to represent the whole YPAG at this conference, and it really made me wish that everyone could experience something like this
Being a part of this conference was honestly a bit nerve wracking, but in the best way possible. It was my first experience of something so professional, and I didn't quite know what to expect. I walked in feeling unsure, but also curious. What I didn't expect was to discover a whole world of people who care deeply about mental health and the power of the arts. For a topic I had sometimes felt people overlooked, it was eye opening to see just how many people are passionate about making a difference in this area.
What really topped off the whole experience was the Q&A interview session afterwards, where we were able to answer people's questions and share our thoughts. It felt amazing to talk about our
experiences as part of the YPAG (Young Persons' Advisory Group), what we had learned about mental health, and most importantly what it had meant to us personally. It was also exciting to speak to people after the session who wanted to use the YPAG as inspiration for their own projects. Having them come to us for ideas and advice made everything feel incredibly worthwhile.
It felt amazing to talk about our experiences as part of the YPAG, what we had learned about mental health, and most importantly what it had meant to us personally
I felt so proud to be able to represent the whole YPAG group at this conference, and it really made me wish that everyone could experience something like this. Seeing how much impact our work could have in the wider community showed just how meaningful all the effort has been. I think our conference in May will be the perfect opportunity for everyone to feel the same sense of pride and achievement, and I genuinely cannot wait for us to create and share something so special together.
YPAG member Annanya
My Voice: My Experience in the Creative Health Conference
Being part of what happens beyond the Young Person’s Advisory Group (YPAG) Project CREATE was such an incredible and insightful experience. From listening to impactful researchers, to speaking on a panel myself, and sharing my personal experiences with the group, the conference helped me understand more deeply why what we do is so important.
From the moment I stepped into the Arts Centre, I was struck by the energy in the room. There was a real buzz of conversation and excitement, and I immediately felt immersed in a creative environment both visually and emotionally.
I realised how valuable it was for young people to have their voices heard in these spaces.
Listening to professors and researchers speak about the science behind how art can positively impact health was fascinating. Their discussions helped me appreciate something I had already experienced through the YPAG, creativity can play a powerful role in wellbeing. Through music, film, dance and many other art forms, the YPAG has not only provided me with a welcoming community, but has also helped me grow as an individual. Hearing the research behind these ideas made me realise how important it is to reduce healthcare inequalities surrounding access to art, so that more people can benefit from these opportunities.
Sitting alongside incredibly knowledgeable researchers on the panel, I felt deeply inspired and intrigued to hear more about their impact and ideas. Initially, it felt quite daunting, especially as the youngest person in the room, but once the discussion began, I realised how valuable it was for young people to have their voices heard in these spaces. I shared my own perspective on the impact the YPAG has had on me, particularly the contrast between experiencing art in academic spaces as opposed engaging with it in community environments like this.
We then had the opportunity to experience key elements of CREATE’s arts-based Living Lab method. Danelle guided us through the RESPOND framework, encouraging us to explore and interpret artwork in a more thoughtful and structured way. As we moved through each stage of the framework, I found myself becoming increasingly curious about the meanings behind the piece and how my own interpretations evolved.
This activity felt familiar to experiences we have previously taken part in within YPAG, which made it very enjoyable for me. It was also really interesting to hear perspectives from others in our group who were engaging with the Living Labs approach for the first time. Many of us shared an appreciation for how the framework prompted us to delve deeper in our responses towards the art pieces.
It felt empowering to share our stories and reflect on our involvement in the YPAG in shaping our confidence, creativity and understanding of the impact this research has.
Later in the conference, I joined my peer in attending a second panel where we answered questions from the audience and spoke more openly about our experiences. It felt empowering to share our stories and reflect on our involvement in the YPAG in shaping our confidence, creativity and understanding of the impact this research has.
By the end of the day, I felt incredibly proud to have been part of such meaningful conversations. The conference highlighted to me how young people can shape research and improve access to creative opportunities in healthcare.
Being part of the YPAG has already given me so much, but the opportunity to represent the young people and contribute to these discussions truly highlighted how powerful and important our voices can be.
Please come and join us to hear more from our YPAG and the work we've done in CREATE,
May 28th - CREATE in Full - Register Here