STAWELL Neighbourhood House has received a grant from the A E Ross Trust to run free school holiday programs for children at the Powerhouse.
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The Masks, Manga and Mash school holiday program begins next week, with the first activity to take place on Wednesday, April 1.
The activities have been designed for young people between the ages of 10 and 14 and seek to tap in to creative interests including Manga, film making, computer game development and theatre.
Stawell Neighbourhood House Coordinator, Jenny Greenberger, said one of the priorities for the A. E. Ross Trust is the wellbeing of children and young people.
"This grant will allow Stawell Neighbourhood House to offer some really creative activities free of charge, so that no young person will be denied access because of financial issues," she said.
"All materials will be provided, and creative tutors have been engaged to make these activities truly special."
Ms Greenberger said SNH seeks to provide a safe and supportive environment for young people to develop their passions and skills.
"This is especially important for young people for whom school is not always a positive experience," she said.
"It is often around the age of 10 that children who might be shy, or may have experienced bullying, or for whom the mainstream curriculum seems too hard or irrelevant to their particular goals, become disengaged from school.
"Some children withdraw, refuse to go to school, their home becomes their safe place and drawing, music and especially computer games become their refuge.
"We would love to invite these young people to come to the Powerhouse, to not only enhance their skills, but also to experience a social environment which is stimulating, supportive, and encouraging."
Stawell Neighbourhood House will run a two day workshop to make masks. Using chux and plaster of paris, participants will design their mask to perfectly fit their own face.
When the casting has been completed, participants will be able to decorate and paint their masks with their own designs.
Young people interested in theatre, or a career in theatre in the future will begin to learn skills that will be very useful to them.
The other two day workshop beginning next week will explore a popular interest for many young people called Manga. Manga are Japanese style cartoon characters who have a very specific style and personality.
In the workshop participants will view some examples of Manga films, learn to draw Manga characters, develop personality characteristics and story lines for these characters, and begin to make clay models.
In the July school holidays it is proposed that participants who would like to return can use their models to learn how to make clay animation films, using computer programs.
A third activity will be offered during the morning of Tuesday, April 7. Author, Sara Albion has been invited to go along and teach young people how to relax and ease stress in their lives.
"Learning to do this at a young age is extremely beneficial as it helps them to develop their resilience to tackle all the ups and downs we all experience in life," Ms Greenberger said.
"The Relaxation and Creativity workshop aims to help all young people develop a positive attitude towards themselves and to living life to the full."
All activities require pre-booking so please contact Stawell Neighbourhood House on 5358 3500 for information and bookings.