Paul Mahay Cook your own food Tutor Community Action Dacorum - Creative Learning

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1 Fundacion Escuela de Solidaridad (FES) is a very good example and a foundation that supports, accommodates and helps develop adults and children who come from poor backgrounds. For instance, a young girl that was living in severely poor conditions with a loving mother in a cave was taken in by the foundation to help and support her. Many volunteers and retired teachers take time out on specific days to volunteer and run short courses to teach and introduce their skills to further develop the occupants at the foundation. Also the food bank association provide food every three months. A cylindrical building on the grounds of FES that is used for a variety of activities to include, music, meditation, theatrical exercises and many more was constructed by people that live there and with the help of volunteers who have visited FES. Built purely from eco/natural and durable material. With walls built from straw and finished with plaster mix created with sand and clay. Not to forget the uniquely constructed roof that actually supports itself, through placing each rafter in a circular motion creating a support for each rafter. Everything used within the construction is donated. The total duration of the training event was 7 days inclusive of travel. All partners involved with the project took part in various workshops to introduce the different types of course and training that FES offer. Which also provides us with a clear, concise and accurate understanding of the benefits of the courses offered.

2 Review of the Training Arrival and welcome to FES and introductions to other partners involved with the QAA project and staff at FES. Familiarise with the surroundings and finished with a nice welcome dinner and song by resident and music teacher Carlos. Thai Massage The first workshop was an introduction to Thai Massage facilitated by Alex who also trained at FES and volunteers and resides at FES. The various techniques that are applied to perform this kind of massage have proven to be very beneficial, not only to the body and mind, also health, blood circulation, and relieve aches and muscular pains. It is recommended to have at least once every month. A general tour of FES and presentation was also given, which gave a clear insight of the foundation and how it operates.

3 Bakery All the partners were split up into groups to be able to participate in different workshops, from bakery, grow your food, and pottery. The bakery workshop was done by Fatime, who introduced a simple method on cooking traditional Spanish biscuit cakes. Following the bakery workshop the group as a whole were shown a demonstration of how to create a traditional Spanish healthy summer soup Gazpacho. Using fresh ingredients. Based on the day s events and workshops, following a good practice discussion with all members of the group it is concluded that most of the workshops offered provided adequate activity and intrinsic value for the participants. The Volunteers who facilitate the workshops are given the opportunity to further promote their skills and abilities to build and develop the people that reside at FES. In turn this has a positive effect and creates a sense of belonging for the facilitator, rather then just retiring and believing that life comes to a stop and he or she can no longer use their skills and abilities.

4 OFECUM OFECUM: which stands for Oferta Cultural de Universitarios Mayores is a non-profit voluntary cultural association offering services and opportunities for people age 50+. OFECUM was founded in 1998 and first established in the University of Granada and also operates within the university. They bring in people over the age of 50 with qualifications, and offer them the opportunity to introduce and teach their own skills to help other people improve their lives. Especially that currently unemployment among 18+ is very high. They also have their own premises within Granada and among its objectives is to promote Intergenerational and active aging, to give quality of life to the people in the framework of a society for all ages. Ofecum also implement monthly and quarterly magazines for information on there services, course, events, past, present and future. Meditation This workshop was conducted by Alex, who along with his Thai Massage skills, also practises meditation. In this particular meditation, a movement technique was implemented, where each of us walked around in a circle whilst Alex vocally guided us through our steps, using mindful language and recognitions. This helps us to remain present and in touch with our mind, body and surroundings. Allowing us to block out or allow any negative thoughts to flow through us, leaving us with a sense of peace and harmony.

5 Dance Theatre The Dance Theatre was provided by F.E.S. & hosted by the German choreographer Frank Haendeler, who is qualified within creative performance to help people to overcome their inhibitions and release their creativity, to become and stay active. The aim of the dance theatre practices is to guide the participants through common shared activities, with the aim of experimenting inclusion into a group. This particular practice has an overall positive impact, not only on the participant s health and body constitution, but also on their awareness towards relationships and social life in general. Focusing on the development of the individual s self-esteem, is an important issue that is going along with the integrative process. The work in this special theatrical environment within a dedicated group is supporting the participants to overcome feelings of isolation, anxiety and scepticism.