Interview with Fiona Doring – CEO of Impact Arts
Recently, one of our committee members sat down with the CEO of Impact Arts, Fiona Doring, to hear more about the charity, her role within it, and some of her favourite memories of being involved in the great work they do.
GCFS: Hi Fiona, firstly, can you tell us a bit about the work that Impact Arts does?
Fiona: Everything that we do is about using creativity to transform lives. At the heart of that is that we employ artists and creatives of all different art forms to deliver on our impact. So, what does that look like? It could be art therapy for primary children who have experienced trauma, who’ve been born into a situation with a number of challenges. That could be parental addiction, bereavement, they might be in care, and art therapy supports them to build resilience and confidence at that life stage. Or it might be at secondary school level with young people who are suffering from mental health challenges or maybe are disengaging from school, we have artistic, creative programmes for them to build confidence and engage with education in helping them gain accreditations beyond school. With young people who are unemployed, who may have no education or no positive destination, we have a whole pipeline of employability projects to support them at each stage. For people getting older, we now have an array of projects for parents that support parenting and the challenges that come with parenting; campaigns that support employability or tenancy sustainment work for people who are at risk of losing a tenancy; we do work in criminal justice too. And then at the top end, for older people who may be experiencing isolation and loneliness, we’ve got programmes like the Craft Café, that are about bringing joy to the older years, about bringing people together, about creating a sense of community.
GCFS: Brilliant, that’s amazing. I suppose you’ve gone into this, but a key part that, I think, sets Impact Arts apart is its wide range of people it helps; how can the arts and creativity help both the young and old, and everyone in between?
Fiona: I think if you look at the project like our Craft Café, we’ve got a community centre, and we’ve got an artist, and a wellbeing worker, and some art materials – you know, that is it drilled down to its absolute essence. But really, what you have is a team of artists who are really skilled, really empathetic, who have a kind approach and who are really good at bringing out skills and talent in people who might not think they have an artistic interest or background. Our projects are not necessarily designed for people who think they’re arty or creative – we will find a way, whether that’s through an art form, or a different technique, that anybody can engage with at any level. It’s generally in an art studio, a really vibrant environment, it’s hands on – you’re making, you’re doing - which is really therapeutic. It can take your mind off of any of the troubles you might have, and it’s fun. I think we really see that for our young people, specifically, who come through school and traditional learning has not been for them. They maybe didn’t fit in, didn’t have many friends or likeminded peers, and sitting in a classroom looking at a whiteboard was never going to be for them. They could be neurodiverse, or dyslexic, or autistic, and what they describe when they come to Impact Arts is that they find their tribe. They feel safe and can be themselves through expressing themselves and having their own ideas. They just feel supported. That’s all about the arts and working with artists, it’s just an alternative approach.
GCFS: Amazing. So, from hearing all the great work IA does, how can students get involved in helping the charity, especially if donating isn’t a possibility for them?
Fiona: Yeah, absolutely recognising that not everybody is in a position to donate. There are wonderful fundraisers, like the Kiltwalk for example, where people can gain sponsorships and then the Kiltwalk tops up that money which is invaluable for charities. But there are volunteering opportunities as well. Right now, our craft Café in Govan is actively looking for volunteers – so people to give three hours a week for twelve weeks, going in, setting up the workshop, making teas and coffees for the 50-60 older people that come in every week, sitting alongside them, chatting to them and hearing their stories. Just being supportive, being a friend and a listening ear is really valuable. That’s one opportunity, but there are always jobs around the organisation to get involved with.
GCFS: The arts are obviously very close to your heart; how do you think that they, specifically, help to improve the lives of those suffering from inequalities, rather than more traditional methods?
Fiona: I think often it’s the hook. People get so disengaged from services that you need something quite inspiring to actually enthuse and get them through the door and crucially, to keep them coming back. Sometimes I describe it a little bit like stealth learning, particularly with young people, you know, they think they're taking part in an arts project and it might be, we did one recently where they designed for Lush, the retail store; but actually, at the same time, they’re getting SQA qualifications, they’re learning all about teamwork, their confidence is developing, they’re speaking to professionals, they’re working on their CV, and actively thinking about future opportunities like work and college. They’re doing all this almost by stealth, they're coming because it’s really good fun, being creative and working alongside friends, but really, it's how we layer all the other benefits beneath all of that, which is really important. People can really feel scarred by the system, having been passed around different systems and it can take more effort to engage them again and build trust; by taking part in the arts, it can do all this at a pace that’s appropriate too – it’s person centred.
GCFS: Moving on to your work with Impact Arts, what does a week in your life as CEO look like?
Fiona: It’s so varied. I suppose as CEO, it’s about designing the strategy for the charity. Making sure there’s shared goals, shared values, a shared vision; its constantly about communicating those to the team and making sure we’re on track. It’s also about bringing Impact Arts into the world, and the world into Impact Arts. So that’s partnerships, speaking to organisations, nurturing new connections. A typical week, I suppose... We might have a team meeting on a Monday, where we discuss everything that’s been going on in the last month, celebrate teams’ successes – we start the day with that. Then, I’d maybe have a meeting with our development team, discuss income which is a massive focus of mine. We need to be on it in making sure we’re delivering what we said we would. I might go visit a project, speak to the people involved and who it’s helping – just listening in that situation really. I suppose I’m a connector, through our work across Scotland and across teams, which is a great thing about being a bigger organisation, in that we can all learn from each other. It’s really all hands on deck. My job is about telling the team about the 99% of our work that is amazing, and seeing what we can do to improve on that 1% that maybe needs it.
GCFS: What is the best part of working with IA?
Fiona: I think it’s the people. We have a brilliant, brilliant team. It’s when you go out and visit the projects and speak to people. I still, and I’ve been here for 19 years, am amazed by the strength of what people tell me. When I say this transforms people’s lives, I am not kidding – the way people talk, it’s just amazing. You know, again, it’s a room with artists and art materials, but there’s something about those highly skilled artists and what they’re doing; the value they’re bringing to people’s lives. Just seeing that, it’s incredible. People say, here’s where I was when I came here, and to see the difference is brilliant. We had our ‘Make It Your Own’ project which is tenancy sustainment, and I went out for a visit, and this woman was telling me about how she had experienced domestic abuse, had to flee her home and basically arrived with nothing. She had a deck chair in her living room, and that was it. She went on to work with our interior designer, Linda, got a shopping budget and got some inexpensive furniture which she did up and made her home really lovely. She said that she finally enjoyed spending time in her house, you know, feeling safe and comfortable. For me, days I spend looking at budgets and spreadsheets, it really makes you feel like there’s a reason we’re doing it that makes it all worthwhile.
GCFS: There are a range of campaigns on right now ranging from the Craft Café exhibition to art therapy; what’s your favourite or most memorable campaign that Impact Arts have worked on?
Fiona: There’s always one that stands out with me. We deliver work in Polmont Young Offenders, and there’s a performance space there that we helped to design and set up. We have various talented musicians who work in Polmont with the boys there. We have a rapper, a beatboxer, we’ve got someone who does band skills teaches instrumentation, like guitar skills. As part of this programme, we invite bands in to perform for them, so they get to perform their own music, but also hear others perform as a kind of inspiration. These are boys who, on average have experienced 6 close bereavements by the time they get to Polmont. That, layered with high levels of care experience, mental health issues, personal life trauma – not to take away from what they’ve done, but their life chances were never good. It was all stacked against them. So, this one time, we had a showcase with the band Hector Bizerk, who are a Glasgow band, and they put on a show for the boys but then asked if anyone wanted to get up and perform as well. This young lad, who must have been about 17, brought his lyrics that he had written in the workshop and got up on stage. The band played and he did his rap. It was just amazing. The lyrics were really personal life stories that he needed to tell, to have his voice heard, and it was really inspiring that he got up and was able to do that.
GCFS: Amazing, what a lovely story – it really puts into perspective how fundraising and supporting Impact Arts really does make a difference in people’s lives.
We want to thank Fiona for taking the time to sit down with us and give us an insight into her work with Impact Arts. If you want to get involved in any of the ways Fiona mentioned, opportunities are available on the Impact Arts website https://www.impactarts.co.uk and, of course, there are plenty of ways to help out through GCFS too!
