Compass Recovery College is a mental health and wellbeing organisation based in Reading, Berkshire, UK, commissioned by Reading Borough Council.
They provide free courses and social groups for anyone in the area aged 18 or over who may be affected directly or indirectly by mental health or wellbeing challenges. Everyone is welcome and everyone is a student. So whether you are struggling yourself, or perhaps you are a carer, family member or professional who would like to know more about mental health and wellbeing, we can help.
Students from Reading School of Art run art-based sessions using film and music to inspire attentive listening and automatic drawing. What does care mean to you? Can we collectively re-work the language around care through a series of listening and drawing exercises?Participants were asked to bring an ‘object of care’ with them as a =n ice breaker, ie a photograph, a sound, a memory, a poem or anything that represented ‘care’ for them. Some of the participants had been long term carers themselves, bringing with them a great depth of knowledge and experience of the perplexities of ‘care’, the struggles of everyday care work, as well as issues around care and access. The group was very small but generous in their engagement and contributions.
Here is a small exhibition from the works produced during these two weeks with the amazing group at Compass. Please feel free to leave your comments or add to our padlet here.