Creating Space for Recovery

Council is delighted to invite the whole community to participate in a series of free creative workshops designed to encourage connection, recovery and capacity building.

‘Creating Space for Recovery’ include a number of friendly, creative and collaborative workshops held every Wednesday at the Jule Jarner Studio at Social Co House.   

Council is committed to providing communities with opportunities for social cohesion in order for them to feel empowered and in control. 

These Wednesday workshops fall under the Ricochet banner, a series of activities and events that provide communities across the Moree Plains Shire that have been impacted by compounded disasters, the opportunity to connect, recover and build resilience in the face of future challenges. 

Organiser of the workshops, Council’s Community Recovery Officer, Sandy McNaughton said, “The Creating Space for Recovery project offers a safe and supportive environment for genuine connection with empathetic community members wanting to learn new skills, encourage their peers and see their community thrive.”

“Arts and cultural programs have a unique capacity to build social cohesion.  They are an essential tool that helps communities prepare for disasters and supports them to respond and recover better when they occur.  Activating creativity helps us to create belonging, gives voice to experience and generates new thinking toward future possibilities” said Sandy.

Workshop facilitator Julia Warner is aware that people have different needs and learning styles. Therefore, the workshops will include a casual art activity for attendees to participate in at their leisure. The art activity will be designed to last 30 – 90 minutes to ensure people are engaged and can extend or shorten their process depending on their personal needs and schedules. Alternatively, they may choose to bring their own personal project to work on in their own time.

“In the face of adversity, our resilience may become worn down.  When this starts to occur, we can develop a tendency to start to withdraw and perhaps lose sight of the strength and support that surrounds us. It all comes back to building resilience, confidence and capacity. We need our communities to be in the best possible position to face future challenges and to recover from future disasters and this is an inspiring way to achieve that,” said Sandy.

The ‘Creating Space for Recovery’ workshops run every Wednesday from 4pm – 7pm until the 16 April 2025 at the Jule Jarner Studio, 167 Balo Street, (behind Social Co House), entry is free. 

Don’t miss this wonderful opportunity to engage in a creative activity that is welcoming and inclusive while allowing connection with like-minded community members.