Real Experiences, Real Impact: TCAF’s Inspiration for addressing children mental's health
"Having spent much of my early childhood in hospitals, I understand the deep impact of loneliness on mental health. Creativity became my sanctuary, a healing force that I now hope to share with children."
Marianne, Founder
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"As a grandparent, I've witnessed how creative activities bring calm and focus to my grandchildren with ADHD. It's incredible to see the power of art in inspiring and soothing young minds."
Steve, Board Member
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Watercolour, Susie Hamilton, 2014 TCAF Residency, Calandreta La Garriga School
A deeply personal mission
Addressing the Mental Health Epidemic Among Children with Creativity and Nature
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1 in 7 adolescents worldwide is struggling with mental health challenges.
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In the US, 17% of children aged 6–17 experience anxiety, depression, or other disorders annually.
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In the UK, 1 in 6 children aged 5–16 is reported to have probable mental health issues.
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In France, over 8% of children aged 3-6 experience mental health challenges, a figure that rises to 13% among children aged 6-11.
To combat this epidemic, we present Berthe’s Brush at Bougival (BBB), an educative game and flagship initiative under our Ginkgo lab. banner. BBB is both:
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A transformative experience to improve children’s emotional well-being through creative expression and nature immersion, which bridges the gap between the virtual and real worlds.
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A research tool to explore how art and nature promote resilience, focus, and mental health and to provide meaningful, measurable benefits for children.
Help us scale BBB
from prototype to a global solution
for children’s mental health
Explore How the BBB Game Brings
Our Mission, Strategy, and Societal Impact to Life
We are connecting the past, present and future to positively impact society and unleashing the transformative power of art through research.
Our Mission: Unleash the Transformative Power of Art through R&D
Our Engagement Strategy
Experience, Strategy, Exchange
Ginkgo lab. is TCAF’s primary vehicle for conducting its research, serving as the pivotal anchor to our 3E strategy: Experience, Experimentation, and Exchange. It offers a holistic approach to engagement, harnessing the transformative synergy between art and nature.
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Explore the Ginkgo lab. prototype in partnership with Maison Berthe Morisot, the Fleming Collection, Longhouse, and Impactoverse. Discover it in the real world, at the birthplace of Impressionism in Bougival, France, and online through the BBB game, featuring a digital recreation of the Ginkgo lab. park.​​​
The BBB Game Bridges
our Four Research Pillars
Education
The Impact of Art
Some studies have suggested that art strengthens individual attitudes and cognitive skills; other research proposes to see cultural education as a form of social development.
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Innovation
The Impact of Art
Innovation is an increasingly headline grabbing topic. It is not just about new technologies such as AI but also the geopolitical context, emerging governance models and wider social and economic concerns, such as low or stagnating productivity and high unemployment rates.
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Global health
The Impact of Art
The positive impact of art on individual wellbeing is often talked about. But how robust, tested and comprehensive is the existing knowledge?
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Sustainability
The Impact of Art
Sustainable development and sustainability have been TCAF's focus from inception. Our aim is to replicate existing studies and develop new protocols in order to establish causality and maximise impact.
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