New Report on Bealtaine Festival

Evaluation a Vindication of Ireland’s Ground-breaking Festival Celebrating Creativity in Older Age

“It’s reassuring to think you can still be creative and feisty and funny at 96.”*

Age & Opportunity, the co-ordinators of the annual Bealtaine Festival, celebrating creativity in older age, are launching the findings of an independent evaluation report by the  Irish Centre for Social Gerontology (ICSG), National University of Ireland, Galway.  The report was commissioned to assess the contribution of the Festival to promoting the participation of older people in the arts in Ireland, and to improving the health and well-being of the people who participate.

For the Executive Summary of the Evaluation and the Full Evaluation Report, follow the links.

The report entitled ‘The Bealtaine Festival: A Celebration of Older People in the Arts – an Evaluation’ is the work of Áine Ní Léime and Eamon O’Shea from the ICSG.  It demonstrates the social and health benefits of participatory arts activities and provides a compelling argument for reviewing older people’s involvement in the arts in the light of future demographic trends.

Professor O’Shea has this to say about the Evaluation, "The research illustrates the benefits the Bealtaine festival brings to older people and to Irish society more generally. Bealtaine provides an opportunity every year for all older Irish people to celebrate their creativity. In the longer term it provides enhanced quality-of-life, increased social interaction, inter-generational solidarity and community networking. The many benefits it brings to the artistic, cultural  and social life of Ireland makes a compelling case for the development of a dedicated arts policy for older people."

Catherine Rose, CEO, Age & Opportunity comments, "From what we witness and from what people tell us, we know how valuable the arts are in the lives of older people. It is wonderful to now have an independent evaluation confirm the life-enhancing role that Bealtaine plays in the lives of individuals who participate and how Bealtaine results in more social contact and connectedness. This is an important message for Irish society as a whole as older people become increasingly a larger proportion of the population."

The Bealtaine festival takes place in May throughout Ireland.  It is the largest co-operative arts festival in Ireland and is arguably its biggest arts festival. Now in its 14th year, Bealtaine is an agenda-setting cultural first, an Irish innovation, for which it now receives international recognition.  Bealtaine contributes to cultural inclusion for older Irish people, as audience members, creators, participants and decision-makers.  Age & Opportunity’s vision for the festival is to bring about a shift in attitudes and practices for older people to participate fully and meaningfully in the arts.  This vision is in line with Article 27 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by which "everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts".

What the Evaluation tells us about Bealtaine:
 

• Bealtaine brings people together. Bealtaine is collaboration in practice. The festival’s unique approach harnesses contributions from small community groups and local active retirement organisations as well as national and regional arts and cultural bodies, local authorities, public libraries and care settings.  As a result of Bealtaine, there is more interaction between State agencies, non-governmental organisations and individuals.  As a festival, it is unique in this regard.
• Bealtaine makes people feel better. Existing research tells us that creativity is a key factor in adaptation to ageing.  Involvement of older people in creative activity strengthens self-confidence, morale and improves psychological outlook, contributes to physical health and enriches relationships through greater social connectivity.  86% of participants agree with the statement ‘Participation in Bealtaine has improved the quality of my life’.
• Bealtaine is beneficial for communities. Bealtaine is a glue for social cohesion.  Taking part in local arts projects is a popular way of becoming involved in community activities and extending social networks. Lasting friendships, networking with other groups and further involvement in other community events follows on from Bealtaine participation.  The evidence suggests that deeper involvement with community has helped break down barriers between old and young and between those in residential care and the wider community.  Having an outlet for social connections enriches the experience of ageing and provides hope and expectation. 87% of participants agreed to the statement ‘Participation in Bealtaine has increased my level of involvement in the community’
• Bealtaine has a positive impact on the Arts. Bealtaine attracts new and participatory audiences to the arts and is changing how arts organisations work with older people, breaking down existing barriers to involvement and engagement.  The festival is having a positive impact on arts practice in Ireland for older people.

The full report is also on the Bealtaine web site.

Testimonials

“My life would be very lonely without Bealtaine.  I have Bealtaine friends – we meet every Friday – this group wouldn’t exist without Bealtaine.” (Interview with member of writers’ group.)

“And then in the evenings, I can paint away for a few hours. It makes life a lot easier to live, I think, if you have interests. I think what kills people is lack of interest…” (Interview with member of visual arts group.)

*“It’s reassuring to think you can still be creative and feisty and funny at 96.” (Interview with drama facilitator on inter-generational project.)

“The existence of the festival creates expectations and these expectations increase every year.” (Interview with the visual artist working with older people in day care centres and IMMA.)

“I suppose it has broken down the walls of the hospital… It has opened it up and it has involved everybody, especially the community...” (Interview with Bealtaine organiser in a hospital.)

A UK artist felt that the public sharing of the work was important “because otherwise this type of work can just ‘quietly disappear’ if not connected to something larger than itself” – such as the Bealtaine festival.

INFORMATION FOR EDITORS

About Bealtaine

Bealtaine, the national festival celebrating creativity in older age, is coordinated by Age & Opportunity and includes events organised by hundreds of partner organisations. The festival encourages greater participation in the arts by older people as artists and performers, participating as both event organisers and audiences, everywhere from national institutions to local parish halls. The ethos is one of fun, empowerment and exploration.

Now in its 14th year, Bealtaine is an agenda-setting cultural first, an Irish innovation. Bealtaine 2008 saw over 1300 events with an estimated 55,000 participants from 26 counties made with 337 partners, making this one of Ireland’s biggest arts festivals.  And while there’s currently nothing like Bealtaine anywhere else in the world, other countries are following our lead and creating festivals based on our model of celebration and participation.

Age & Opportunity is the national not-for-profit organisation working to promote greater participation by older people in society through partnerships and collaborative programmes.  Other Age & Opportunity programmes are delivered with a range of partner organisations in areas like physical activity, educating about ageism and age discrimination, promoting confidence and empowerment amongst older people, and training staff of care centres to facilitate the arts amongst the people  in their care. Further information www.olderinireland.ie

Further information on the festival will be available to the general public as follows:

• On the web: www.bealtaine.com.
• Via e-mail: bealtaine@mie.ie
• By telephone to Age & Opportunity on 01 805 7709
• Via local public libraries and County Council Arts Offices
• By post to Bealtaine at Age & Opportunity, Marino Institute of Education, Griffith Avenue, Dublin 9.

Key Statistics about Ireland’s Ageing Population:
Current figures:

• 11% of the population is aged 65 years +
• 26% of the population is aged 50+
• 95% of people aged over 65 live in the community
• 5% of people aged over 65 live in residential care
• Currently 1 in 10 people aged 65+ are over 85 years

By 2036:

• The population of people aged 65 years+ will increase from 11% to 22%
• The population of people aged 50 years+ will increase from 26% to 43%.
• By 2036, 1 in 7 people aged 65+ will be over 85 years

The most notable increase amongst the age bands is the oldest age band of 85 years and over.  The numbers in this age band are due to more than treble by 2036.

For further media information please contact Stephanie Dickenson at Kate Bowe PR Tel: 01652 0143 E-mail stephanie@katebowepr.ie