Insights from Yaran Northwest
Is improv comedy the right choice for people with mental health challenges? This August, we tried something new. Improv workshops for adults with a refugee or migration background, run in partnership with Yaran Northwest CIC.
Yaran is run by a multicultural team who support vulnerable adults, new immigrants, families and couples in Greater Manchester. For example, they offer mental health and community group services. We partnered with Yaran to bring improv into the mix, because we already knew from our work with homelessness services that improv comedy can lift peoples’ moods.
After the first few sessions, it was time to check in on how it was going…
A mid-project reflection
We asked Parvin Emampour from Yaran to reflect on how it is going so far:
“As a Trauma-Focused Therapist and Operations Manager at Yaran, I always believe that we need programmes that provide our service users with joy, happiness and opportunities to build confidence out of the therapy room.
At the same time, such programmes should help people overcome isolation, reduce feelings of shyness and shame, and encourage them to connect with others and integrate more confidently into the host society.
The Free Improv Comedy Workshops were exactly the kind of programme I had hoped for. Over the four sessions so far, I saw how laughter, creativity and a safe group environment could bring people together and create positive experiences.
This programme beautifully reconciled laughter and mental health, showing that supporting people’s mental wellbeing does not always have to be serious or clinical. Sometimes, laughter, friendship and feeling accepted can be incredibly powerful.
Thank you to everyone involved in delivering this wonderful programme. It has been a positive and meaningful experience for our service users, therapists, and I very much hope we can continue to offer programmes like this in the future.’
To learn more about our work and the impact it has had on people, visit our Impact page.