Creative February 2025 inspires young people to 'Make your Mark' in Donegal today

Creative February, the Arts Council initiative which encourages children and young people to celebrate their creativity, continues today in Donegal.

Following on from a successful inaugural Creative February last year, schools, Youthreach centres and educational facilities around Ireland are again invited to participate in this fantastic opportunity to harness the creativity of children and young people.

Today's event will take place in Gweedore, at the Gaeltacht Library. The children and young people will be making a tree sculpture combining individual creations that make their mark, visiting the local beach to collect materials for a large sculpture and creating a hive from individual hexagons bearing each child’s mark. The three schools are involved are Cnoc Na Naomh NS, Gortahork; Bruckless NS, Donegal; and Scoil Cholmcille, Letterkenny.

Creative February recognises that our schools are truly creative places, filled with very creative people. This year’s theme is ‘Make Your Mark’ and aims to inspire children and young people to be brave enough to explore their ideas and share them with others.

The Arts Council has sent every school in Ireland a Creative February Planner to help them map their activities. A series of resources to stimulate young imaginations, such as short videos and how-to guides, are available for all from the Creative February hub on the Arts Council website. Students and schools are asked to share their creations online, tagging the Arts Council and using the hashtag #CreativeFebruary.

The underlying theme for Creative February 2025 is ‘nature’. Nature has always been a powerful source of inspiration for creativity and reflection and, as February marks the beginning of spring, this theme will encourage students and school communities to reflect on the changing of the seasons and how creativity can evolve and flourish in our lives, in every class and in every school.

In addition, the Art Council is hosting a selection of activities including:
Online workshops on activities such as origami and drawing
Online inspiration sessions for teachers
A call out for post-primary podcasts - podcasts will feature on the Creative February webpage!

The Arts Council has also joined forces with libraries and cultural spaces across the country for Creative February to inspire children and young people to use their imaginations and make their mark in their own way.

Events include:
The Chester Beatty Library, Limerick National Youth Theatre and the National Museum of Ireland have provided a suite of online resources to explore creativity and wellbeing
County libraries in Clare, Donegal, Kerry, Meath, Laois and Waterford, and Sligo’s Model Arts Centre, will host exhibitions and activities throughout February
Laureate na nÓg, Patricia Forde, will share how she makes her mark at an event in the National Library on 25th February

Speaking about Creative February Maureen Kennelly, Director of the Arts Council, said: “Creative February 2025 builds on the success of last year’s inaugural programme of events. Creative February provides space and encouragement for children and young people to demonstrate their ingenuity when it comes to how they engage with art.

"By encouraging children and young people to Make Your Mark, this project presents a fantastic opportunity to nurture and celebrate the many ways in which schools and school communities embrace creativity. I would encourage all schools across the country to get involved in Creative February and let their imaginations run wild.”

Mags Walsh, Programme Director of Creative Schools said: “Creative February is a celebration of imagination and innovation across all schools in Ireland. It is a wonderful opportunity for school communities to explore, create, and share their creative endeavours. It builds on the success of the inaugural Creative February in 2024 where students and teachers celebrated all things creative. We look forward to seeing school communities in every county celebrate and we extend our thanks to all the partners around Ireland helping to bring Creative February to life.”