“Creativity can be a component to heal people.”John Connors
Tuesday February 20, 2018
Category: Creative Corner
Emotional Support Peacock also know as Dexter
Wednesday February 7, 2018
So we saw this story and thought we would like to share and many things can support good mental health, we liked the link with the peacock and that now Dexter has his own Instagram page.
A US airline is clipping the wings of “emotional support animals” hoping to take flight with their owners over safety concerns, as a would-be peacock passenger created a social media tizzy. Dexter will have to travel by car to his destination this time, or use his own wings.
Student Forum Wellbeing January event
Saturday January 27, 2018
Last Tuesday’s Winter Wellbeing Festival Day was the perfect antidote to banish the January blues. Organised by the Student Forum of the Dublin North North East Recovery College and held in Dundalk Institute of Technology, it saw a gathering of like-minded people with an interest in emotional wellness. It was a celebration of the possibility and the power of recovery for those who have been affected by mental distress.
Lianne,did a great job welcoming people and introducing what was going to be on offer on the day. First up was two forms of creative expression, with people getting to choose either Drama or Movement Medicine. I decided on the Movement Medicine as having never done it before, I was intrigued with what it was all about. Facilitated by the incredibly nimble-footed Ann, it started off with gentle stretching and movement to music. Initial nerves and shyness, gave way to people really shaking their stiff and busting some moves! I have to say that it was definitely a first, it was hugely energising and everyone left, a little sweaty, but with huge smiles on their faces!
Afterwards people mingled over tea and biscuits and by all accounts the Drama session, facilitated by Kwasi and Bernie, was equally enjoyable. For the next session, Martha invited the speakers to the stage, Caroline , Marian, Neil and Bernie who spoke of their personal journey to recovery and involvement with of the Recovery College. It was a huge privilege to be in the room for this session, as the stories were incredibly honest, empowering and hopeful.
Following this Michelle, facilitated a Trialogue session on the topic of ‘Normal is an illusion’ with great contributions from almost everyone in the room. The day ended up with the release of balloons with personal messages and inspirational words written on them. Our car journey home was a very chilled out affair with people feeling energised and also with a sense of renewal.
Well done Dundalk, you knocked it out of the park and we’re already looking forward to the Summer Festival!
Ger
The Beautiful Peacock Logo
Thursday January 11, 2018
The Dublin North, North East Recovery College is open to everyone with an interest in mental health recovery and the spirit of collaboration, we wanted to start people talking and dreaming of what a Recovery College could be so we, the Working Group, set up a completion to design a logo and sent it out into the community.
This was the brief: Design a logo for Ireland’s newest Recovery College and the Prize: €200 (One4All voucher) for the winning logo. We outlined the vision for the Dublin North, North East Recovery College, where the idea came from and who was involved.
We suggested that the themes of hope, recovery, emancipatory education, community, co-production and wellbeing might be useful when thinking of the logo.
The standard of work we received was exceptionally high and the decision to pick a logo was a difficult one.
Judging Panel Make Up and People
The judging panel was make up of an academic, a community member, an expert by experience and a HSE worker.
The judging panel were: Catherine Timmins, Liam MacGabhann, Anne Brennan and Martha Griffin.
The panel met on 23rd of May 2016.
The entries were judged by their artistic merit, individuality of the logo, and suitability for use as the logo for the Dublin North, North East Recovery College.
A flavour of the entries we received
Winning submission: St. Louise’s, St. Vincent’s, Fairview
This is what came in from the winning group, St. Louise’s Ward. Their concept then went to Graphic Designer, Lorena Zanoni. Lorena developed the design with Recovery College staff Joe Maloney and John Kelly to create the finished design.
This is what the artists in St. Louise’s Ward said about their design,
“The Peacock is a power animal and it can enable us to shed the feathers of the past and enable us to take back the true beauty of our individuality. This increases self-respect and self-confidence. It symbolises dignity and the wholeness of the individual. This idea marries well with the recovery college model”
They also gave an explanation of the colours:
- White signifies purification, spirituality, hope and faith.
- Red is the root chakra which symbolises physical vitality, energy, passion emotion and courage.
- Blue is the throat and it symbolises acceptance, peace inspiration and mental abilities and self-awareness.
- Yellow is a solar plexus chakra (gut instinct, happiness).
- Green is the heart charka which symbolises emotions, relationships, forgiveness, nature and the environment.
- Orange is a sacral charka which symbolises change, optimism and ambition.
- Purple is a crown charka and symbolises spiritual growth.
- Brown symbolises stability, grounding, endurance, home, friendship and respect.
- Black symbolises warning, repelling or warning of negative energy.
“We believe the peacock logo is a strong symbol and it works well as a logo for the Recovery College”.
Thanks to all who entered and we look forward to meeting you at the college launch on the 10th of October 2016.