Arts and Activities
Arts & Activities at our Day Centre
Through the various activities we run at the Centre, we help to improve the self-esteem of people who are homeless or insecurely housed, as well as improving skills towards recovery and stability: communication, working with others, decision making, functional skills and fine motor skills.
Some of the people we support lead chaotic lifestyles often driven by alcohol or drug dependency, so being motivated to take part in activities is a real achievement. Over the last few years, the number of participants has increased and we see continuing engagement after people progress into housing.
Once housed clients often struggle with social isolation and boredom. Being able to offer accessible activities, in an environment people are already comfortable with, is essential for continued progression towards greater stability and, for some, towards independent living.
We have seen people transform dramatically in terms of their confidence and self-esteem after attending just a few activity workshops. The afternoon activities offer a relaxed, safe space which often allows clients to open up more about their experiences, giving us a greater idea of how we can support them further as well as connecting them to other services. We see people develop their skills, creativity and social connections.
It is a priority for us to be able to continue to offer activities that might help to alleviate some of the stresses and worries that come when you find yourself on the street, especially during the winter months.
Activities run four afternoons a week at the Centre from 2-4pm, plus occasional day trips. We aim for a relaxed atmosphere and a range of accessible activities so that all our clients have the option to join in. It's typically a much calmer time than the morning drop-in, with focus and creativity.
We are looking for some volunteers to run quizzes, as these are popular with many of our clients.
Regular sessions include: Nervous Drawing with Alex, cookery with David, gardening with Myrna, visual poetry with Michal, Vicky's art club, table tennis with Thomas, and yoga with Samala. This year our day trips have included the Herne Bay in Bloom community garden and Wildwood Trust wildlife park.
Skills & Employability Project
This project, part of the Streets Ahead Collective project, has been made possible by a Skills and Employability Grant from the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund with Canterbury Council as the lead authority.
Miriam Ellis, Arts & Activities Coordinator, said: “The workshops have been designed to boost people's confidence and wellbeing, as well as for them to develop skills that might lead to future community engagement or employment. Thank you to Rock Paper Scissors for hosting the workshops and Liz Wellstead for her support and Chatterbox Community Cafe for the lovely sandwiches.”
The project has three elements. After the creative workshops, participants will learn retail and marketing skills before getting retail experience selling products at shops and community events.
At the end of the project, clients will be able to update or create their CV with all the skills and qualifications they have achieved. They have the potential to achieve three Badge Nation qualifications. Badge Nation gives recognition to what individuals achieve and accomplish outside of formal accredited qualifications, using digital badges to motivate learning and ambition.
