Series of creative workshops support neurodivergent young people across Edinburgh this summer

Neurodiversity charity Salvesen Mindroom Centre collaborates with local creative organisations to create opportunities and support the transition to life beyond school

Free-to-attend workshops will take place between 16 – 31 July 

Salvesen Mindroom Centre, a charity that champions all forms of neurodiversity and supports all kinds of minds, has launched a series of creative workshops to support neurodivergent young people across Edinburgh this Summer.

The sessions, delivered through collaboration with local creative organisations Artlink Edinburgh and Out of the Blueprint, will encourage neurodivergent young people approaching the end of their school careers in Edinburgh and surrounding areas, to explore their hopes and dreams for the future and showcase often-hidden talent in the creative arts.

Kicking off with an afternoon of clay sculpture on Tuesday, July 16, the series will include ground-based circus skills on July 18, a 4-day series of eco-friendly comic art Riso printing workshops (from July 22 to July 25), an afternoon creating special effects make-up on July 29 and, to conclude, an afternoon of green screen video production on Wednesday, July 31.

Alan Thornburrow, CEO of Salvesen Mindroom Centre, said: “It’s clear to our dedicated team that the uncertainty around significant change to their well-known environment and the thought of meeting an array of new people when transitioning to life beyond school give rise to a high level of anxiety for neurodivergent young people who have reached the end of their scholastic careers.

“There is also, very often, a natural amount of creative talent, without the opportunity to explore how this might make the transition easier, and that’s why we decided to reach out to a range of incredible creative organisations in Edinburgh to ask if they might like to work with us to help facilitate this transition.”

Those qualifying for the free spaces available (14 to 18 years old, care experienced or on the edges of care and neurodivergent) will have the opportunity to apply for their preferred workshop using a dedicated booking form, or they can contact the team at Mindroom directly.

For bookings and full details around the different workshops, please use this link.