Creative arts and physical movement

Our group programs

Physical movement program

Gentle bean bag and ball exercises to activate the brain and foster social inclusion. Following this we do simple chair yoga stretches to enhance relaxation and mobility. Skills developed:

• improved body awareness, sharper focus
• reduced anxiety
• encourage social interaction through partner exercises
• calm the nervous system and improve motor and hand-eye coordination

Visual arts program

Hands-on creative program, where participants create handmade arts and crafts to sell at local community and rotary markets. They also host a monthly stall at Ashburton Community Centre. Skills developed range from pricing items, customer service and working as a team. Popular products made and sold are:

• Handcrafted cards and gift tags
• Sewn items including baby face washers, placemats, heat packs, dog blankets
• Beaded jewellery and accessories: bracelets, necklaces, and keyrings
• Heat-infused mugs and hand decorated jars
• Mosaics and gem art coasters

Creative media program

Participants build digital design skills through practical projects using Canva other digital tools, exploring popular design areas such as:

• Creating business cards, flyers, logos, and branding materials
• Creating T shirts, mugs and other mediums using heat transfer
  application
• Designing layouts for recipe cards, photobooks
• Developing concepts for video game consoles
• Crafting eye-catching YouTube thumbnails
• Exploring basic web design and IT-focused projects
• Exploring basic web design and IT-focused projects
• Experimenting with simple animation techniques

Each activity is designed to boost confidence, spark creativity, and provide valuable experience with tools widely used in today’s digital media and design industries.

Senior chair yoga program

This gentle, supportive movement program is designed especially for older adults seeking to improve their flexibility, strength, and mental wellbeing in a safe and social environment. Each session begins with a series of low impact warm-up movements using handheld bean bags or balls, followed by calming chair-based yoga exercises.