

What is Craftivism?
Dementia Craftivists are people who are living with dementia who are using their creations to make supportive and enjoyable links across communities. Our project is all about the pride in creating something yourself from scratch (whether it’s knitting, painting, song or play-writing, poetry, woodwork, or much more)… while sending, if you so choose, your own message to others.
In sharing the things we are producing with the wider world, we are demonstrating the talents, skills and resilience of people with dementia. Our overarching message is ‘We Can!’
Some of the Craftivists are helping others to learn new skills, through kits, demonstrations or tutorials. This too is sending out that message of ‘You Can Too’ loud and clear. We want to mobilise as many people as possible to get involved.
Some of the things we are making have our own messages on them too. In this way, the project can be seen as a very democratic process of ‘gentle protest’. Some of us are leaving them to be found by anyone… on a bench or on a beach. We have produced labels with the Craftivists logo (see below) which explain that this creation has been made by a person with dementia.


but also proving, in our case, dementia doesn’t mean
you can’t do things.




but also proving, in our case, dementia doesn’t mean
you can’t do things.


videos… They’re just me as I am, with my side-kick
Alzheimer’s.












up a new world for me…






confidence and I started to experiment with
other different mediums… and just really
having fun.





And some of us are sending the things we make on to other people with dementia… a message of love and solidarity in difficult times.
We will also be linking with a number of care homes through NAPA.
Above all, we want to achieve involvement, fun and stimulation for people with dementia. Especially those who have little or no access to the digital world; who may have few words to articulate their feelings; and who come from a wide range of cultures and first languages.

The ‘Me, Myself and I’ group display their crafts