Creative Workshops for Creative People
ABOUT OUR WORKSHOPS
Our objective is to ensure our learners and volunteers are part of the courses by involving them in the range of strategies for supporting learning in the class/training
room.
Some of our projects target particular learners such as African/Caribbean women living with the challenges of mental illness and or emotional distress due to a history
of abuse, poor health or other occurrence in their lives.
We often work in partnership with other community self-help groups who provide wellbeing sessions giving extra support. We also work with deaf students, students with learning difficulties and families through Children’s Centres. This gives them the opportunity to learn a creative skill in a safe environment.
We have protocols in place which mean that we are able to spend more time with those who need the support due to their lack of confidence or natural skill. At the
end of our workshops, we take people through creative business workshops giving them the opportunity to taking the first steps to starting their own businesses. We repeat part of our lessons if needed and provided extra ‘surgery’ type sessions which indeed support them as and when it was necessary to do so.
THE BENEFITS OF TAKING OUR COURSES
- Students gain not only skilled based knowledge, but also confidence within which to use their skills in the workplace, interviews or in their day to day lives.
- This will also give them to skills to go onto further college courses; potential employment or self-employment.
- Learning how to share knowledge and information; making social networks; making mistakes and learning from them.
- As tutors, we understand that our learners have various learning styles – visual and/or kinaesthetic auditory and as a result, we vary our teaching methods to facilitate this. Our teaching methods include; demonstrations; observation; positive feedback in one to one sessions; as well as within the classroom setting and support sessions after class; orientation around the materials and equipment used for the lessons; students demonstrations and classroom discussions.
- Access to dedicated volunteers on hand to give extra support when needed
Cake Baking & Decorating
Students learn how to use a mixture of hand and machine processes. With our baking classes, we run all of the baking classes first and then students bring in a cake each week of the decorating class. They learn how to bake from a basic sponge cake to a rich chocolate or fruit/rum cake. They learn how to experiment by adding or subtracting various ingredients. We use sugar paste/fondant/ganache to come up with the finished professional looking product, ready to sell.
Sewing Workshops
Students learn how to use a mixture of hand and machine processes. With our baking classes, we run all of the baking classes first and then students bring in a cake each week of the decorating class. They learn how to bake from a basic sponge cake to a rich chocolate or fruit/rum cake. They learn how to experiment by adding or subtracting various ingredients. * We use sugar paste/fondant/ganache to come up with the finished professional looking product, ready to sell
Natural Hair Workshops
Learners have the opportunity to share their own hair journeys from childhood with each other. We teach learners to understand their hair type; and gain knowledge on how to care for natural hair including washing; conditioning and moisturising using natural and organic ingredients. Using the right combs/brushes and learning some basic braiding and cornrow techniques. Also, how to avoid the temptation to use chemical straighteners in your child’s hair. We discuss how important it is to eat a wellbalanced diet including plenty of water and various vitamins and minerals – especially those known for their positive affect on hair and skin. *Several hints and tips are given on the techniques used for looking after African/Caribbean hair.
Bring and Fix It
These workshops were created due to so many students wanting to fix their broken zips; sew buttons; use patches over their jeans; extend their curtains; fix their blinds etc. Students can revamp their old or damaged clothes or household items. We run these workshops in the community as well as in Children’s Centres in Hackney and they are always very popular. Students create some really great looking practical items and due to it being a family event, parents and children get to have fun together as well.
