Current Opportunities

Organisation Description

Mafwa Theatre (MT) is a community theatre CIC made up of people from refugee, asylum seekers and settled communities in Leeds. We use the arts and nature to bring people from ethnically diverse communities together, to improve mental health and wellbeing, combat social isolation and create resilient communities. MT celebrates diverse communities, supports artists and theatre makers from migrant backgrounds and advocates for migrant rights and racial justice. Our mission is to use creativity to bring refugee, asylum seeker and settled communities in Leeds together and foster a more welcoming city. Since February 2018, MT has used a participant-led approach to run weekly creative workshops and has delivered several major projects that have supported participants’ mental health and wellbeing, delivering over 370 workshops for more than 650 people in Leeds. The workshops reduce social isolation, increase community cohesion and break down barriers between communities. In external evaluations, over 90% of participants reported that their mental wellbeing had improved as a result of attending MT sessions. Past projects in Lincoln Green have sown seeds towards a more resilient community. These include: Kuluhenna Drama that uses drama exercises and games to improve confidence, boost English language acquisition and reduce social isolation. Lincoln Greeners, a mixed-gender gardening group manages the veg bed and Garden of Sanctuary we have created with Lincoln Green residents. The group supports participants to gain gardening skills, provide themselves and their families with food and improve wellbeing outcomes. Flourish is a programme of events in our community garden whilst our Art Club animates the space with creative activity.