Equipping and empowering people with disabilities to reach their full potential

 Transforming lives and communities, in Latin America and the UK. 

What do we do?

Artizan International enables, empowers and supports people with disabilities to meet their full potential, through therapeutic craft activities and social enterprise, in the UK and the developing world.

Our vision is to create a world where disabled people are welcomed, valued and respected as creative contributors to their community, and given equal opportunities to their peers. UK specific : Social isolation is decreased, confidence and wellbeing are increased, bridges are built and negative attitudes are positively transformed. Overseas: Disabled people living in poverty are equipped to support themselves financially through skilled crafts work and, by their achievements, to transform negative attitudes towards them in society.

Locally (UK):

Our vibrant Artizan Cafe & Creative Space provide hospitality training & work experience, creative crafts workshops & more, for adults & children with special needs. Our Artizan Organics workshop provides training in hand-made candles & cosmetics, sold in our fairtrade shop, alongside the crafts produced by our artisans overseas.

Visit us in Harrogate
Visit our incredible training facilities in the heart of Harrogate. Our stunning south american inspired Cafe and Creative Space and our beautiful flagship store where you get to experience products hot off the design press

Ecuador and Peru:

Our Crafts Centres and Cafe provide training & employment for people with disabilities who would otherwise be living in extreme poverty; they are beacons of light and hope in the community, transforming the lives of our participants & positively changing attitudes towards disability in the community.

Visit us in Peru
Visit our inspiring training centre in Arequipa where you can see first hand our trainees at work designing and making products, creating mosaics and working in our gorgeous Shop and Cafe

Join the Journey at Artizan

Why do we do it ? ​

Our vision is to create a world where disabled people are welcomed, valued and respected as creative contributors to their community, and given equal opportunities to their peers. 
  
Artizan International enables, empowers and supports people with disabilities to meet their full potential, through therapeutic arts and craft activities and social enterprise.

We create accessible opportunities for disabled people, to enable them to gain skills, reduce their social isolation, show-case their talents to their local communities and thereby be recognised for their abilities, rather than their perceived disabilities. This has a transformational effect on attitudes towards people with disabilities and leads to a more cohesive, inclusive community, where people of all abilities can fulfil their potential, creatively and economically.

People with disabilities in the UK and the developing world often are often extremely socially isolated, have reduced access to education and are excluded from employment. They have skills, talents, and abilities and just want to be given the same opportunities to shine as everyone else. That's what we're about. Our mission is to enable, empower, and support people with disabilities to reach their full potential through therapeutic crafts workshops, high-quality crafts training and social enterprises in the developing world, that lift people out of poverty and transform lives.

As an organisation, we recognise that people with disabilities can live creative, economically valuable and culturally-rich lives, when given the right opportunities to do so. The work we do at Artizan International is about breaking down barriers between the able and less able in our local community; challenging perceptions and giving a tremendous sense of pride to those we work with, by teaching skills and creating opportunities. We have developed a culture of creativity here that inspires both participants and volunteers to give of their best and reach their full potential.

Don't just take it from us!

"Bustling café with an ethical ethos, supporting those who are disabled. Superb food and drink, carefully prepared and served with grace and a smile. A lovely experience." ~Yvonne Smallshaw ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"Lovely handmade crafts store literally transforming peoples' lives. Well done Artizan!" ~Katy H ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"I can do anything I put my mind to now! Artizan is like a family." ~Felicity, Harrogate