Member: Fireflies: Creating Sparks in Communities

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Fireflies mission is to support community organisations, disconnected and disparate communities of place and interest and the individuals within them, to find their spark and generate their own and their community’s health and wellbeing. Our vision is a Scotland where people use their individual and collective light for change.

Having demonstrated the effectiveness and impact of their work over many years in the community sector, especially around individual growth and community wellbeing, as a social enterprise Fireflies is bringing together services and new projects that combine mental health improvement, environment and creative methodologies.  There are two inter-related strands to activities.

  1. Working with community organisations providing wraparound consultancy and project management, to suit the needs of the organisation and their own communities.  From strategic exploration to team planning, project design to funding applications, engagement to facilitation, monitoring and evaluation to reports for internal/external learning
  2. Service provision to groups and to individuals, combining storytelling, positive psychology, participatory arts, and greenspace appreciation.  Currently developing a portfolio of online courses and communities to alleviate loneliness and turn disconnect into new opportunities

Joy Mitchell is Fireflies ‘solopreneur’ working with skilled associates as relevant. Joy is a community development practitioner and project manager, with many years’ experience in Glasgow and elsewhere. Most recently with over 16 years’ experience in participatory arts and community engagement in South Lanarkshire. Designed, developed and managed an extensive mental health and wellbeing programme that worked with over 16,000 people of all ages, and engaged with many more at community events, school programmes, and online reach. 

Annual projects as part of SMHAF and throughout the year: 

  • 2008 ‘Mind Yer Heid: CamGlen Connections’ (banner making with 500 participants) 
  • 2012 Living Library, sharing personal stories of lived experience and recovery 
  • 2017 ‘Pockets of Calm’ (mini movies using smartphone – 17 first-time film-makers, with ‘Oscar’ ceremony!, and viewed by over 4000 on social media)
  • 2019 ‘Postcard to a Friend’ (written messages about mental health sharing thoughts and feelings – all ages), engaging with up to 200 local people as ‘artists’ and 200+ as audience
  • 2020 ‘3 Words On Your Mind’, exploring how feelings were changing as lock down progressed
  • Ongoing arts and media projects and activities including the anti-stigma Telling Your Story Radio Show on CamGlen Radio, and mental health focused creative writing classes 

Initial exploratory chats are welcomed!

 

 

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Website: https://www.fireflies.org.uk

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