| 121 T T Kim Newth More opportunities for Hōhepa residents Hōhepa Canterbury runs a busy events calendar. Their Inclusive Sports Day on March 6th, run in conjunction with the Christchurch City Council and Sport Canterbury, was a big success. Hōhepa Canterbury COMMUNITY Fresh from celebrating its 60th anniversary last year, Hōhepa Canterbury continues to extend its community connections and grow exciting learning opportunities for adults living with an intellectual disability. Inspired by the teachings of Dr Rudolf Steiner and his principles of anthroposophy (‘wisdom of the human’), Hōhepa’s special character focus is on promoting physical, emotional and spiritual wellbeing. Hōhepa Canterbury supports its vibrant community to live fully engaged lives by offering a range of supported living options, learning and activity programmes, community participation and therapies to develop body, soul and spirit. Their main city base in Christchurch’s Barrington Street, with extensive green spaces, is a social, activity and therapy hub with services run out of the Artemis Centre and Hōhepa Hall, while their Halswell campus houses the Gaia Centre, and offers a tranquil farm environment for various social therapy activities. As well as offering in-house activities, Hōhepa Canterbury connects people with working, volunteering and learning options in the wider community through their community facilitation of their daily LEAP programme, tailored to each individual. “This year, we have been looking at ways to enhance the LEAP programme and update options to better reflect people’s goals, particularly learning opportunities,” says Aaron Randall, Hōhepa Canterbury Community Participation Facilitator. “For example, we set up a mainstream cooking course in partnership with Risingholme Learning at the Linwood Avenue Corner Community Trust, where people have been learning how to make things like homemade pizzas. It’s great to see everyone enjoying the experience, learning new skills and gaining confidence in the kitchen.” Another LEAP group has been taking part in a barista skills course every Tuesday afternoon at Prima Roastery on Brougham St. Those wanting to gain practical building skills have been taking part in backyard building sessions with The Green Lab, learning how to put together pest-trapping boxes and planter boxes. “We’ve also got individuals volunteering at Cat Rescue Christchurch and the SPCA, as well as Linwood Avenue Corner Community Trust and the Richmond Community Gardens,” says Aaron. “We have more people out in the community doing volunteer roles and having meaningful learning experiences than ever before. 319 Brougham Street, Christchurch P: 03 365 0907 Email: info@pyeelectrical.co.nz www.pyeelectrical.co.nz CONNECTING YOU TO THE RIGHT SOLUTION Proudly supporting Hohepa Canterbury “Of course, we’re always keen to hear from anyone in the community who has a new opportunity that could benefit people at Hōhepa. If you think you can help, please drop me an email: aaron.randall@ hohepacanterbury.com.” Volunteers play a big role at Hōhepa Canterbury too, supporting access to opportunities in the community. Student volunteers from Cashmere High School often help out at the Somerfield campus. Hōhepa Canterbury runs a busy events calendar. Their Inclusive Sports Day on March 6th, run in conjunction with the Christchurch City Council and Sport Canterbury, was a big success. A free event, it gave people with disabilities the chance to try a wide range of sports in a supportive environment. “We hope it will also encourage an increase in ongoing participation in mainstream sport and recreational opportunities,” says Aaron. Coming up in May is the Hōhepa Art and Sculpture Exhibition, giving Canterbury artists a chance to share their work with the Hōhepa community and be part of this inspiring event. Donations are always welcomed by Hōhepa Canterbury – the wider community’s generosity is integral to Hōhepa’s ongoing impact. “We have more people out in the community doing volunteer roles and having meaningful learning experiences than ever before.”
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