The long-term disruption Covid-19 has caused to the lives of children and young people has been immeasurable.
From missing school to missing friends, life has been very difficult. The Institute of Imagination is a charity encouraging creative learning through events, training, partnerships and research and when lockdown was announced fell into an existential crisis, like so many others.
If there was ever a need for a charity like Institute of Imagination, it was during lockdown. In the months that followed the Prime Minister’s announcement, the charity worked quickly to adapt their programmes and re-imagine their traditional way of working to ensure they could continue to deliver to those who needed it most.
Young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) were a priority for the Institute of Imagination, especially those who lacked the specialist care and adapted learning environments they need to thrive, which is why the Institute of Imagination launched the iOi Imagination Box.
With funding from John Lyon’s Charity, the iOi box was an opportunity for the charity to prototype something different. They specifically worked with a designer to create something never seen before. Something more creative, imaginative, and magical, which is backed up with education resources and accessible online workshops. As a result, the charity delivered an interactive, dynamic activities box, designed specially to spark SEND learners, filled with multi-sensory materials and illustrated activity cards. The imaginative box not only supported SEND needs but also provided parents a new and enjoyable way to ignite their SEND child’s imagination from home.
Throughout lockdown, the Institute of Imagination dedicated their time to supporting the wellbeing and skills development of children and families in London and beyond through the delivery of its iOi box. As the UK begins to adapt to normality, the Institute of Imagination will continue to work on the prototype of the iOi box in the hope that it becomes a permanent part of the charity’s delivery for the foreseeable future.