MAKE–SHIFT
Free Friday evening creative sessions! Make something and meet your neighbours at the Soanes Centre.
Every Friday evening, the Soanes Centre is filled with art and music.
Our regular Make–shift sessions are a welcoming, informal and creative space focusing on building neighbourhood connection through creative activity. Everyone is welcome!*
Each two hour session is facilitated by our friendly team, and is free to attend – just turn up!
You’ll have opportunities to experiment with creative skills, making, recycling materials and rooting our creativity in an experience of the natural world. Sessions may draw on Forest School skills, taking inspiration from the Cemetery Park on our doorstep, or focus on reflection.
There’s no expectation to produce a finished piece of work – we prioritise creativity, connection and wellbeing, where the journey is as important as the destination! Activities will be shaped by the seasons and the group’s interests, and there may be opportunities to collaborate on larger creative projects in the future.
*Everyone really does mean everyone, but under-18s should come with a responsible adult. If you have any questions, or particular access needs, please let us know!
Facilitators:
Dimuthu (Dim) is Setpoint’s Head of Education, and has been working at the Soanes Centre for almost 20 years. He is an environmental educator and ecologist who has worked in conservation for even longer than that, specialising in urban biodiversity enhancement projects, outdoor learning and ecological surveying. Before the Soanes Centre, Dim worked with organisations like the London Wetland Centre, the London Wildlife Trust, and The Natural History Museum.
Dim is also a Forest School Leader, with a special interest in Green Woodwork, Bushcraft, Foraging, Herbal Remedies, Outdoor Play, and UK Biodiversity (especially in Urban Settings), which he will bring to the Make-shift sessions.
Matteo is an HCPC-registered Art Psychotherapist with over ten years of experience working across NHS, community and private settings. His work brings together creativity, psychological wellbeing and the importance of human connection. Although Matteo’s background is in Art Psychotherapy, these sessions are not intended as therapy.
He has extensive experience facilitating creative groups and workshops, supporting people to explore ideas, develop confidence and connect through art. For these sessions, Matteo brings his experience of creative facilitation and group processes to support an inclusive, welcoming environment where people can experiment, learn and create together.
Why we do this:
Community and social connection are a vital part of shaping an everyday experience of our own environment. The Greater London Authority have called climate change a social justice issue – as the environment changes, social ties are important factors in creating resilient communities, beyond technical and design-based solutions.
Over our 30 years working from the Soanes Centre, we have delivered education, but we’ve also developed deep and lasting relationships with the people who pass through our doors. Sometimes multiple generations of the same families have come and learned with us, and our students often return as teachers!
Both the importance of longstanding relationships, and the fragility of community space, were highlighted through the Save Soanes campaign, which was supported by 2,000+ local residents to safeguard our work in the Cemetery Park and beyond. For Setpoint, the campaign has also created opportunities to experiment, build relationships and imagine new possibilities for our (and your!) organisation.
These sessions have developed from that shared process, as a way of making more tangible the way that we work as well as the outcomes. The name, Make–shift, is designed to capture both the ethos of making space for community and starting before you’re ready, as well as the impact we want to make on how people relate to their surroundings. We hope you’ll join us!