Who we are ...
My name is Brian McGinnis and I am the founder of Quest & Craft. I have worked in education for over 12 years, in a variety of roles, including; Art Teacher, Head of Department, Senior Leader, facilitator and consultant. For the past five years I have worked largely within specialist provisions and with neurodiverse students, including those with ASC and SEMH.
I have supported students, whose SEMH needs have brought out challenging behaviours, low self esteem and low motivation. Through developing extremely positive and trusting relationships with these young people I have seen them transform into their true successful selves and achieve success.
I delight in inspiring, and encouraging creativity and problem solving, in both young and old, in order to help people realise their goals, and overcome real or perceived barriers.
A creative all-rounder, with a broad range of traditional and contemporary art and design skills (including digital media, animation, Illustration and graphic design) I have delivered creative learning experiences to all ages from Primary age, all the way through to adult.
I started Quest & Craft in order to fuse two of my favourite things - playing creatively, and getting alongside people to help them be happy and successful.
I have run Dungeons and Dragons and other roleplaying, and gamified experiences in schools across London, to students, teachers, TA's and Actors, engaging both neurodiverse and neurotypical participants. I have been praised for my creativity, storytelling, inclusivity, gentle manner and good humour, in supporting and encouraging both experienced and new participants.
What we do ...
Quest & Craft run immersive roleplaying sessions; such as Dungeons & Dragons, gamified learning experiences and creative workshops for schools (and other organisations).
My approach in helping people achieve is the result of many years' experience of teaching and working with young people, as well as working with therapists, other teachers and leaders. I have synthesised these experiences to form the key themes which underpin all of our workshops:
Building Curiosity
Our workshops are designed to build curiosity. If we can have our participants ask questions like, "what's going on here?", "How did you do that?", or "Can I do this?" then we have encouraged them to lower their guard and take a step into something new.
Increasing Engagement
Our workshops have two crucial elements which empowers our participants and fuels their engagement: play and choice. We engage more where we have the capacity to make our own decisions and have fun being creative.
Developing Positive Behaviours
When we have earned the trust of our participants, through helping them feel empowered, listened to and encouraged, we can leverage these experiences to teach them positive behaviours and attitudes. I have witnessed so many positive changes in young people when they felt engaged and that they were valued.
Achieving Success
When someone is encouraged, actively engaged and with the right mindset, there its no limit to what they can achieve. Through intelligent play and problem solving, we discover hidden talents, recognise our potential and are encouraged to perform in sometimes unexpected ways. Most, if not all creative outlets provide cross-curricular opportunities, and we try to capitalise on this in order to see positive changes and success in different areas.
Each theme informs the next and I have seen lives transformed through this approach. Go to our Testimonials page to read what others have said ...
