A new Creative Arts Centre has opened at Ocean Terminal to support resettled children and families through art, music and storytelling.
Edinburgh based charity, Mission of Innocents, opened the new centre at last week, offering a space where people can come together, express themselves and “begin to thrive through creativity”.
The Centre will play home to the charity’s programmes using art, music, movement and storytelling to help children and families who have lived through war, displacement and crisis feel safe again, build confidence and reconnect with childhood.
The opening was marked by a special event attended by Deputy Lord Provost Lezley Marion Cameron, alongside members of the High Constables of Leith and the Consular Corps.
The evening included the unveiling of a commemorative installation and a performance by children supported by Mission of Innocents.
The charity was founded in 2022 by Joyce Landry, whose company, Landry & Kling, managed two ships brought to Scotland to accommodate Ukrainian families fleeing conflict.
Witnessing first-hand the profound impact that war and resettlement were having on children far from home, Joyce was moved to act.
What began as a small, urgent response to the Ukrainian refugee crisis has since grown into a mission supporting children and families from many different cultures and backgrounds affected by conflict, climate disasters and political crises, including families from Ukraine, Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen and Sudan.
The new centre gives the charity a permanent base in Scotland, allowing it to support more children over a longer period of time, with free classes and programmes running throughout the week.
Dmytro
Among the young people supported by Mission of Innocents is Dmytro Miskova, who arrived in Scotland after fleeing Ukraine following the Russian invasion in February 2022.
Dmytro’s first home in Scotland was onboard the MS Victoria, docked in Govan, where hundreds of Ukrainian families were temporarily housed.
Arriving frightened and unsure of what the future would hold, he struggled with the uncertainty of starting again in a new country.
It was through a poetry performance organised for families onboard that Dmytro first connected with Mission of Innocents. The experience became a turning point, helping him rediscover confidence and a sense of identity beyond his circumstances.
Now living in Coatbridge and attending secondary school, Dmytro is thriving and hopes to pursue a career in aircraft engineering.
His journey reflects the wider impact of Mission of Innocents’ work, creating safe spaces where children who have experienced resettlement can rebuild confidence, form friendships and begin to look forward again.
Joyce Landry, founder and CEO of Mission of Innocents, said: “Mission of Innocents started because I saw children who had lost their sense of safety, routine and joy.
“They had been through things no child should experience, and there was very little support focused on how they were feeling.
“Through simple creative activities, we began to see changes, children opening up, making friends, laughing and smiling again.
“What began with Ukrainian families has grown to support children from many different backgrounds, all carrying their own stories.
“This centre gives us a place where children and families can feel safe, be themselves and begin to thrive, and that means everything to us.”
Nataliia Pidruchna, director of Children’s Programmes at Mission of Innocents, said: “Creative arts give children a way to express feelings they don’t yet have words for.
“Through art, music and movement, we see confidence grow, friendships form and smiles return.
“I’ve worked with children in Ukraine and here in Scotland for years, and I’ve never seen anything break down barriers in the way creativity does.
“One little girl I worked with barely spoke at all, she had become completely silent. Over time, through dance and movement, she slowly began to find her voice again.
“It’s for children like her that we do this work. This centre will be a place where children feel welcome, supported and free to be themselves, and where families who’ve been through incredibly hard times can begin to thrive together.”
Since 2022, Mission of Innocents programmes have reached over 800 resettled children, providing vital support across Scotland and beyond, with improvements seen in confidence, wellbeing and social connection.
