Neighbourhood House Programs
COMMUNITY COURSES & PROGRAMS
Alexandra Community Hub is a funded Neighborhood House offering a host of community services, courses and programs.
Community Courses are designed to bring people together to connect, learn and contribute in our local community through social, educational, recreational and support activities, by using a unique community development approach. Community development starts by identifying and addressing our communities needs. Like all communities we have existing strengths and assets that can be part of the solution. People from all walks of life are welcome. These courses and programs are inclusive and aim to create opportunities for individuals and groups, to enrich lives through connections that might not otherwise take place, to strengthen networks and building social capital.
To meet the needs of our local community Alexandra Community Hub hosts subsidised services, courses and programs which;
- Involve the community and encouraging participation and inclusion, and valuing diversity and difference at all levels of neighbourhood house operation
- Identify community needs and aspirations
- Determine appropriate community programs, activities and services in response to those needs, ensuring that diversity and difference are valued
- Partner with community organisations, businesses, government and philanthropic organisations to secure appropriate funding and support
- Deliver quality programs, activities and services
- Evaluate the effectiveness of all aspects of neighbourhood house operations, including programs, practice and governance.
What is Ashtanga Yoga
Ashtanga Yoga is the yoga of eight limbs, not limited to the postures and breathwork.
Eight limbs defined by Maharshi Patanjali are –
1. Yama (Restraints)
2. Niyama (Observances)
3. Asana (Postures)
4. Pranayama (Regulation of Breath)
5. Pratyahara (Withholding of senses)
6. Dharana (Concentration/Fixity)
7. Dhyana (Meditation/Contemplation)
8. Samadhi (Absolute Concentration/Oneness with the self).
For more information, view our Ashtanga Yoga page.
What is Chatty Cafe?
Join us and “Have a Chat”. Chatty Café table brings people together.
All are welcome to join the Chatty Café table. A place where you are welcome, a space socially safe and in a comfortable location for a friendly chat – for a few minutes or longer -whatever suits works best for you!
Free tea and coffee are provided, and sometimes Barista made coffee and tasty treats are available too!
This is the time and space for you to get or keep connected with other community members…… everyone is invited! If you’re on your own, in a couple, with a friend, if you’re a carer why not sit there with who you care for, mums and babies, dads and babies, grandparents and babies, young people, older people, and anyone in between!
Why join in and why encourage someone else to come too?….. Chatting is such a simple concept but so important for our mental and physical health. Loneliness can seriously impact a person’s sense of well-being and cause a range of disorders including anxiety and depression. Having a chat with others in your local community can really brighten your or someone else’s day. It can create new friendships and social connections and is a great way to find out what is available in the community if you are new to the area.
Alexandra Play Group
Meets every Tuesday & Friday 9:30am - 11am in the courtroom and court yard of Alexandra Community Hub.
Hosting a relaxed environment where mums, dads, grandparents, care givers, children and babies can meet, chat and play. A fun time with lots of free play open to all pre-school children and their caregivers.
There is no leader, everyone looks after their own child/children and arrives and leaves at whatever time best suits them during the session time.
You and your child choose where you want to play. If you’ve had enough of one activity, just move to another.
Play, talk and interact with other adults and children.
Each group can develop its own culture – organise a shared snack time, run a story time, do a group craft activity.
Cost Donation appreciated.
For more information please visit Alexandra PlayGroup Facebook page or contact alexandraplaygroup@gmail.com or call 0422 787 132.
What is the HungryMinds Club?
You might have enrolled your child in a Footy, Soccer, Netball or Cricket club through which they will have fun, learn a bit (or a lot), and perhaps realise their potential as a star player. How would you feel about getting your child involved in a similar activity in critical thinking based on simple math and science that they are taught anyway?
Someplace where interested kids get together, have a go at fun, fundamental problems and skills involving thinking. An atmosphere as supportive as at a sports club, (Parents can come along, cheer or encourage?) a place where it is cool to have a go at problems, learning and practising. A place where it is perfectly OK to ‘fail’ or make mistakes, where you can work alone or with others as a team. Perhaps it will help your child realise their potential as a scientist, or an engineer or an artist. It might bring out the champion of thinking in the child. We will invite retired and working professionals in Alexandra to come by and share their knowledge and wisdom with our children, to mentor and guide them in learning. We will arrange alluring, cool rewards and prizes for children who shine mentally. We will encourage aspirations and learning in all fields, not just math and science.
Meeting weekly: Sundays 3:oopm in the Studio room at Alexandra Community Hub
Learning/teaching approach: This will have many elements of an adventure. We will role play pioneers in maths and science. We will pretend that we are the first humans to tackle a problem with no readymade solution. We will give our minds the time to wrestle with fundamental problems of math and science. We will try and invent original solutions. We will have fun and struggle. We will learn not to be daunted by mental challenges. Above all, we will endeavour to have fun thinking!
From this year on, we will encourage every child to pursue at least one idea or interest to design and develop a product or project over many months and present it at the end of the school year. We will work to provide resources, support, guidance, and facilities to complete the project and try to match them with a mentor in this process.