Converge
Our wider partnerships
We work with our partners to support adults who have experienced mental health illness. We provide opportunities to use learning as part of the recovery journey.
Out of Character Theatre Company
The Out of Character Theatre Company was formed in 2009. Its members are people who use, or have used, mental health services. It includes students and volunteers.
The Company has devised, written and performed on projects in York and across the country. They perform scripted works as well as producing site-specific durational performances. They have also created and performed personal pieces for audiences interested in mental illness.
Out of Character have collaborated with York Theatre Royal, Love Arts, Arts & Minds, the Wy-Fi project, the NHS and medical schools.
How to get involved
Visit the Out of Character Facebook page
Emerging Voices Music Charity
Registered Charity Number: 1183043
Emerging Voices gives adults with mental ill health the chance to make music. The charity responds to a growing need to provide music opportunities beyond Converge.
By taking part in music individuals improve their wellbeing and achieve their goals. Emerging Voices can be a first step into exploring music or the next step after Converge.
The charity provides one-to-one support, courses, performances and recording opportunities.
How to get involved
Visit the Emerging Voices website.
Supported Volunteering in Horticulture
Horticultural volunteering is available in partnership with Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust. Volunteering opportunities are available at St Nicks Fields and Poppleton Community Railway Nursery.
Green space has benefits for mental health and wellbeing. Sessions offer a programme of relaxed and interesting gardening skills.
No previous experience of horticulture is needed.
How to get involved
Poppleton Railway Nursery is Britain’s last surviving railway nursery. Sessions take place on Mondays, Tuesday afternoons (craft session) and Thursday mornings. For more information email Paul Botting on p.botting@yorksj.ac.uk
St Nicks Centre for nature and green living runs ecotherapy sessions. Activities include Discover nature, Nordic walking and creative writing. For more information email e.mckenzie1@yorksj.ac.uk
Converge at Northumbria University
Based on the York St John model, Converge at Northumbria was established in 2018.
Courses are designed and delivered by undergraduate and postgraduate students at the university. Support is provided by academics and Converge staff. Courses are based within Drama, Art and Design and Fashion.
Converge at Northumbria works closely with local mental health organisations and cultural venues. They provide community opportunities such as theatre visits and backstage tours. They work with regional artists to offer bespoke workshops to their students.
How to get involved
For more information email Ally2.hunter@northumbria.ac.uk
Find out more on the Converge Northumbria facebook page
Western Oregon University, Oregon, USA
Each summer occupational therapy students from Western Oregon University in the USA visit us in York to learn more about the Converge model of supporting mental health recovery via engagement in an on-campus creative learning community. They also contribute significantly to our Converge Summer Festival. Students from Oregon and Converge students work alongside each other to provide collaborative workshops and other events. This is a real highlight of each year at Converge.
Mosaic at Griffith University, Queensland, Australia
Spring 2025 was a landmark moment for our colleagues at Griffith University, with the launch of Mosaic, their own version of Converge which draws upon their experiences of working with us.
Like Converge, Mosaic is a social justice service, opening university-level education to those who often do not have that opportunity. Mosaic is underpinned by two key principles. First, the program provides education, not therapy. Second, Mosaic participants are students, not patients or service users.
Mosaic students enrol in one or more courses, that are designed and delivered specifically for them, at Griffith University’s South Bank campus. The courses are open to adults (18 years of age and older) currently receiving support for their mental health, or who have experienced mental health issues. These are introductory courses that do not require any prior experience. Mosaic courses are free, run for about 8 weeks in length, for 2 hours each week. Courses are taught by university tutors in state-of-the-art facilities at the Queensland Conservatorium and the Queensland College of Art and Design.
Mosaic commenced in Trimester 1 2025 and is about to enter its fourth trimester with four courses: Drawing and Mystery, Thinking Jewellery, Songwriting and Storytelling II, and Thinking and Making through Print.
More information about Mosaic can be found on the Griffith University website.
