Community Resources: June 02, 2017

14
Stimulate
Mind, Body
& Spirit
Unfulfilled at work? Yearning for more social
connections? Stuck in a rut? If these niggling
questions have been bothering you then signing up
for a community course could be just
the answer you’ve been looking for.
Instead of slumping in front
of the TV the minute you get
home from work, why not
stimulate your senses, fast
track your career, master a
new skill, take up a new hobby,
or join your local sports club
and widen your social circle,
by attending one of the many
community based courses
around Christchurch.
Explore something new,
challenge yourself by building
on your existing knowledge,
or simply do something you’ve
always dreamed of doing, but
have never made the time for.
There are a great selection
of affordable part-time and
full-time community based
courses, offering a wide
variety of subjects and training
programmes for all ages and
abilities, run by qualified tutors
from schools, polytechnics, and
community centres around
Christchurch.
Looking for an engaging
activity I could pursue using
a bundle of vintage fabric I
had collected over the years,
I signed up for an eight week
sewing course.
Revitalising my home décor,
I made my own cushion covers
for a fraction of the cost of
store bought ones, whilst
learning new skills and making
new friends.
A friend of mine decided to
boost her confidence and step
outside her comfort zone by
taking an evening burlesque
class. Learning new skills has
increased her confidence in a
fun environment with other
women, with whom she has
made a new circle of friends.
Community Information
Christchurch (CINCH - www.
cinch.org.nz) is an online
community directory of clubs,
community organisations
and continuing education
course providers in the greater
Christchurch area.
Established by Christchurch
City Libraries in 1981, CINCH
is an excellent resource,
which includes more than
5,800 listings offering day
and night courses in arts
and crafts, music and dance,
languages and cultural studies,
occupational training, personal
development, sports and
recreation, and also includes
a comprehensive list of citizen
and consumer agencies.
All listings provide detailed
information, including course
details, location and maps,
course tutors and contact
details, and links to further
information.
Improve your career
prospects or explore a change
in career direction by taking
one of the diverse occupational
courses on offer. Employers
are often willing to invest in
the continuing education of
their employees, so it pays to
ask and they may be happy
to pay for training. There are
also many on-line training
programmes available through
a number of educational
institutions.
Boost your confidence,
improve your health, and
increase your energy levels
by joining a sports club or
participating in one-on-one
recreational activities. With
winter just around the corner,
why not join an indoor sports
team and explore a new
pursuit, which could become
a life long passion while you
widen your social circle.
Seeking a thrill and a
little adventure, why not
try abseiling, caving, motor
sports, hunting, flight training,
kite surfing, or paragliding?
Improve your fitness in a fun,
non-competitive environment
by becoming part of a social
sports team (either mixed or
single sex teams) in a number
of team sports like basketball,
cricket, hockey, netball,
roller derby, rugby, or soccer.
Prefer one-on-one training to
achieve your personal best?
There are many opportunities
to improve your skills and
challenge your limitations with
personal coaching available
across a number of recreational
activities.
Those with mental or
physical disabilities are also
catered for with the likes of
basketball, tennis, and rugby
for those in wheelchairs,
and a wide range of social
sporting activities for those
with other impairments,
including archery, blokarting,
sailing, bowling, cycling, judo,
swimming, running, and even
fencing, to name just a few.
Personal development
courses offer a large choice
of topics for exploration,
including achievement
motivation, bible studies and
spirituality, communication,
creative, travel, and fiction
writing, driver education,
employment re-entry, goal
setting, life skills, mentoring
in business, phobias,
self-confidence, stress
management, and general wellbeing,
alongside many others.