Even though they can’t meet in person just yet, the young people that take part in ARC’s More Stuff Like This Please! programme have been working hard on a very special lockdown project.
MSLTP! is a partnership project between ARC and Stockton Borough Council which aims to provide arts activities for young people with experience of the care system.
During lockdown they have worked alongside writer Lisette Auton and illustrator Tamsin Daisy Rees to publish a book. Adventures in Lockdown, published by Sixth Element Publishing, features a little bit of everything from ‘Dear Covid…’ letters to maps of imaginary worlds.
Some of the young people involved have shared their thoughts on the experience in the preface to the book:
‘Lockdown has destroyed the WORLD! We wanted to write a book that included lockdown but with a twist…
The last few weeks have been crazily fun writing this book together! It has been so exciting; talking about fun things, what we learned, and meeting many new people along the way.
Making this book together is what we call teamwork! It has been so fun to work and draw and write about a lot of things in lockdown. It has been an inspiring thing to do and we have loved creating this book during this crazy time.’
The book will be available to buy from DRAKE – The Bookshop when all non-essential retail reopens at Step 2 of the UK Government’s Roadmap out of Lockdown. All profits from the book will be donated to the Care Leavers Fund.