Creative Wellbeing Project
Creative outlets can provide social benefits and valuable connections, and the City of Mandurah is dedicated to providing artistic programs that enhance our community’s health.
Our Creative Wellbeing Projects aim to improve the wellbeing of targeted demographic groups, to maintain and recover good health through cultural participation and engagement.
Over the next three years, the City will partner with experienced facilitators and community organisations to plan and deliver meaningful initiatives, focusing on select targeted demographics.
The Creative Age
Presented by the City of Mandurah and produced by Community Arts Network (CAN), The Creative Age is the first of these projects and offers storytelling and art workshops to seniors living in aged care. As Australia’s population continues to age, the demand is increasing for arts programs tackling loneliness and community connection.
The aim of this project was to empower our older residents to connect, share their stories, and celebrate their valuable contributions to Mandurah's community. It provided an avenue for expressing the joys, challenges and unexpected surprises that come with ageing in our multicultural society.
The Creative Age workshops have recently concluded at Brightwater and Mercy Care, where residents engaged in creative sessions exploring themes such as memory, identity, food, family, and connection. With guidance from CAN producer Tegan Jenkins and lead artist Sandy McKendrick, participants created handcrafted placemats—visual stories made from collaged materials representing personal and cultural memories.
Since the conclusion of the workshops, CAN has also returned to both facilities to collect more individual stories from participants, continuing to build a rich collection of memories and lived experiences. During sessions, some participants have opened up about their lives in surprising and deeply personal ways. Others, despite memory challenges, have expressed themselves through images, shared moments, and brief storytelling. These creative sessions have clearly become about more than art—they’re about feeling seen, valued, and connected.
