Student Placement – Helium Arts Out Patients Programme in Cork (REF 001)

The Arts & Health Student Training Portal provides student artists with volunteer placement opportunities to support and learn from a professional artist on an existing arts programme with a health or social care service. The goal is to provide live industry experience to students interested in participatory arts practice with healthcare communities.

The pilot initiative is taking place in Cork City and County in the academic year 2024/25. Placements are available to students across all artforms attending MTU (Cork campuses) and Cork College of FET.

The Arts & Health Student Training Portal is a partnership between HSE Cork Kerry Community Healthcare, artsandhealth.ie, Cork Education and Training Board, Munster Technological University, and participating cultural providers in Cork.

REF 001: Helium Arts Out Patients Programme in Cork

Placement Provider
Helium Arts is an award-winning Irish children’s charity that aims to improve the wellbeing of children and young people living with lifelong physical health conditions by providing free creative engagements in the community, online and in hospital, tailored to different age groups from ages 6-16.

We use creativity and art to build community, spark friendships, unlock skills and new interests that can help children to overcome adversity. We believe that creativity empowers children to feel confident, worthwhile, and respected and this helps them to become more prepared and capable in daily life. Supported conditions include diabetes, epilepsy, cystic fibrosis, allergies, heart conditions, asthma, spina bifida, juvenile arthritis, rare or complex conditions and many more.

Website: https://helium.ie/

Programme
Create While You Wait – Hospital Out Patients Programme

Location of Service
Cork University Hospital, Cork City

Artform Area
Visual Arts

Programme Description
Helium Arts is currently seeking student artists to work with a professional artist on our Paediatrics Outpatients Department (OPD) Programme in Cork University Hospital. The programme provides creative engagements in waiting areas. Helium Arts offers children and young people the option to ‘create while you wait’ in OPD. Idle and anxious moments are transformed through light table and lap-based arts activities that foster creativity, playfulness and a sense of calm.

Public Transport to Venue
Yes

Placement Details

Duration
2-3 months with flexible hours to accommodate needs of the student

Format
2-4 sessions per week

Length of Session
Hours can vary and will include prep and planning in the Artist’s Studio

Online training required in advance of placement
Children First e-learning programme
Hand Hygiene

In-person training provided during placement
Induction
Professional development workshops
Mentoring (outside of contact hours with healthcare users)

Placement Supervisor
Jenni Little, Helium Arts, Volunteer and Intern Coordinator

Deadline for applications

Rolling deadline – Until places are filled for the academic year 2024/25. There are a limited number of placements and students are advised to submit their Expression of Interest form as soon as possible (see form link below).

Notification process

Students will receive an email notification that their submission has been received.

Helium Arts will confirm if your placement has been provisionally been accepted within two weeks of submitting your application and provide further information. Students must then notify their education placement co-ordinator.

Please note that once provisionally accepted, a student will be required to submit additional information to the placement provider, including referee details. The placement will officially be confirmed following an in-person interview.

Student Criteria

Students must fulfil the following criteria:

• Applicants must be over 18
• Applicants must be attending Munster Technological University (Cork campuses) or Cork College of FET in the academic year 2024/25
• This placement is for student artists across all artforms – the focus of these placements is on participatory methodologies and workplace practices rather than artistic discipline.

How to Apply

Please fill out the online Expression of Interest (EOI) Form “Students Placements in Arts & Health”:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/JDDVPTS

Please include the reference number for this placement: 001

Applicants will be required to upload their CV to the online EOI form.

Queries
If you have queries in relation to this placement, please contact Jenni Little, Helium Arts with the reference number (001): volunteer@helium.ie

If you have queries in relation to the EOI submission form, please contact: info@artsandhealth.ie

We aim to make the application process accessible to all students. If you require additional support in applying for this placement, please email info@artsandhealth.ie