USE-IT! is supporting the MotherShip Community. The following article can tell you more about this worthy organisation.

What is the essence of Mothership?

MotherShip is a community arts company that seeks to connect communities through culture and creativity. We do this through delivering projects, programmes and events for other organisations and developing and delivering our own projects. We particularly strive to support mothers and children.

What projects are you running/in the process of running?

Our central project is PLAYgroup- a creative befriending project for newly arrived mothers and their children and local mothers and theirs. Working with professional artists, relationships are built through playing creatively together, reducing isolation, increasing community cohesion and providing newly arrived families with better access to local family provision.

Who are you (your background/your passion/drivers etc)

We are two creative producers/arts project managers with a combined experience of over 2 decades in the arts. We formed MotherShip in an attempt to continue to pursue our careers in a way that was compatible with family life as parents of young children.  Two and a half years ago we founded Bearwood and Kings Heath Action for Refugees respectively, community groups that support refugees here and in transit through awareness raising, fundraising and befriending activities. We are passionate about welcoming and supporting newly arrived communities, particularly women and children, and we strongly believe in the power of the arts as an agent of change.

How has Use-It helped?

Working with Anabela as a mentor has enabled us to really hone what we wanted to offer and achieve. Her advice has been invaluable in progressing our CiC application, and helping us to understand our options and how to achieve our goals.