Our Mission: To champion neurodivergent creativity as a catalyst for wellbeing, connection, and cultural change.
About Us
Neurodivergent Arts CIC exists to champion neurodivergent creativity as an art form — placing it at the heart of culture as a recognised and celebrated asset.
We cultivate inclusive, co-created platforms where people can connect, create, and belong — while also supporting wellbeing, reducing isolation, and building progression routes into volunteering, facilitation, leadership, and cultural recognition.
Our approach grows from care, belonging, and co-creation — led by lived experience and inspired by the belief that creativity is both nourishment for wellbeing and a pathway into leadership.
Why this matters
Southampton is home to around 250,000 people, and an estimated 15–20% are neurodivergent — that’s almost 40,000 people whose creativity and voices belong at the heart of our city’s culture.
We want to build on the strengths already alive in Southampton’s neurodivergent community — learning from the vibrant pockets that exist, and working alongside them to connect, create, and co-create. Our aim is to develop programmes that grow these networks, rally new opportunities, and create sustainable pathways for community development, cultural participation, and leadership.
Nationally, only 29% of autistic adults are employed. In Southampton, we want to help shift that story — creating inclusive opportunities for people to contribute, progress, and flourish in ways that reflect their strengths and lived experience.
We also recognise the underrepresentation of neurodivergent people in leadership across the arts, culture, and heritage sectors. Our vision is to change this by embedding leadership opportunities at every level — nurturing a future where neurodivergent people are not only participants, but also facilitators, decision-makers, and creative leaders shaping the cultural life of our communities.
Our Three Pathways
At Neurodivergent Arts CIC, everything we do grows from care, belonging, and co-creation.
Our work is rooted in three interconnected pathways that together support wellbeing, professional growth, and cultural visibility.
🌱 Community Pathway – Creative Wellbeing & Connection
We create consistent, inclusive art groups in trusted community hubs where people can:
• Reduce isolation and support their mental health
• Build confidence and creative skills
• Find friendship, routine, and belonging
• Share their creativity through local exhibitions
Examples: Adult Art Club (Eastleigh), Parents’ Creative Wellbeing Group (Shirley)
🌿 Professional Pathway – Progression & Leadership
We recognise lived experience as expertise and open supported routes into:
• Volunteering and co-facilitation
• Mentoring and leadership
• Stakeholder and governance roles
• Paid Development Associate and facilitator positions
This pathway turns creativity into confidence, confidence into experience, and experience into leadership — so that neurodivergent people can shape the spaces they create in.
🌼 Culture & Heritage Pathway – Visibility & Representation
We bring neurodivergent creativity into public and heritage spaces, collaborating with museums, galleries, and city partners to:
• Celebrate neurodivergent art as a recognised cultural asset
• Reclaim public spaces through inclusive exhibitions and light installations
• Share lived-experience stories that shift narratives and influence culture
Examples: City Reflections (Castle Vault projection) Jane Austin 250 Women’s writing workshops (Artful Scribe with Southampton Forward)
How the Pathways Connect
Our pathways interconnect like a living mycelial network:
Community Pathway nurtures wellbeing and belonging.
Professional Pathway turns that growth into leadership.
Culture & Heritage Pathway amplifies those voices publicly — reshaping how society sees neurodivergent creativity.
Together, they form the foundation of everything we do — supporting people to connect, create, and lead with confidence.
Our Vision
We embody and advocate for a future where neurodivergent creativity is visible, valued, and celebrated — from community hubs to national stages.
Our work creates spaces where people can connect, create, and belong — not only as participants, but also as facilitators, leaders, and cultural contributors.
Whether someone joins us to support their wellbeing or pursue professional progression, they are part of a growing movement that is reshaping the arts through lived experience, care, and co-creation.
We currently work from trusted community venues — with a long-term vision to grow multiple neighbourhood hubs, leading to a permanent Creative Wellbeing Hub with studios, residencies, a café, and wellbeing spaces.
Everything we do is designed to create sustainable, measurable change — for individuals, communities, and culture itself.
What is the impact?
Everything we do is designed to create sustainable, measurable change — for individuals, communities, and culture itself.
Our impact grows directly from the three pathways above, which together create long-term benefits across four interconnected levels:
Individual Impact
People build confidence, develop self-worth, and feel represented in ways they haven’t before.
“It’s helped me so much with my confidence and self-worth — I always feel relaxed and safe when I come.”
— Art Club participant
“Our experience of exclusion, difference, and difficulty with identity is something we share… it’s been positive to come together to creatively express this in a shared project.”
— City Reflections participant
Professional Impact
Community Impact
We recognise lived experience as expertise.
Not all leadership looks the same. We support growth in visible and quiet ways — from behind-the-scenes support to public co-curation.
“I like to help in my own way, which isn’t necessarily visible — but I know I’m making a difference.”
— Volunteer (Art Group preparation support)
“As a neurodivergent professional, I have to manage my own barriers to communication and participation. Co-creating City Reflections helped me reduce these barriers and develop in ways I didn’t expect — I’ve grown as a facilitator , and curator and learned how to trust the pace of community-led work.”
— Community Curator for City Reflections
Community Impact
We deliver creative groups from trusted community venues (with cafés and good transport), reducing isolation and building connection and belonging. As consistency grows, these venues become familiar, supportive places people return to and contribute to. Our sessions are shaped by the people who attend — offering a sense of connection and belonging.
“Beth created a safe and welcoming space for us to learn and ask questions.”
— City Reflections participant“I love challenging my skills, learning new things and the sense of community”
— Art Club participant
Societal Impact
We co-create cultural change.
Through partnerships and public storytelling, we amplify neurodivergent voices and shift the narratives that shape how we’re seen.
“Being able to stand in the vaults and tell our story through the walls — it made me feel powerful, like we were reclaiming space.”
— City Reflections participant“We made something meaningful. It wasn’t just a project — it’s our voice, out there for people to see and feel.”
— City Reflections participant