Converge Annual Report
Academic year 2010-11 Introduction to Converge Converge is partnership between York St John University and North Yorkshire and York PCT delivering high quality educational opportunities in the arts for people who use mental health services. Our project is based on a convergence of the requirements of a university and of mental health service providers. Mental health service users need good quality educational opportunities that raise their aspirations and enable them to move on into education or employment. The university needs high quality work-based experiences for students to increase their employability. What distinguishes Converge is that it offers a model of collaboration between a university and a mental health service provider that can make a real difference in the lives of users of mental health services, full-time students and the university community. Each can learn from and alongside the other. The strength of the approach is that it matches the ‘core business’ of its key providers: the university educates its students; the health service has a valuable provision for its clients; and fulltime students complete their modules. But its strength goes beyond that of matching core business – its real value is in how much more is created from and through the collaboration of the university and Converge students engaged in the course.
Over the academic year 2010-11 Converge offered courses in theatre, dance, music, fine art and writing poetry. We have also supported Out of Character and the Communitas choir. 70 people who use mental health services accessed our courses; we involved 25 university students and provided 302 hours of teaching. This annual report details course attendance and retention, presents feedback from Converge students and University students and looks at the changes we wish to make in the coming year.