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Kingsriver Community
Kingsriver Community
Start date: Jun 1, 2012,
Kingsriver Community is a home and a place of life long learning for people with fewer opportunities due to intellectual, physical, social, and/or emotional challenges. Many participants are also economically disadvantaged. It is based in Stoneyford in County Kilkenny and is active since 1987 and a participant in long term EVS projects as a hosting organisation since 1997. Most of the time 4 to 5 EVS volunteers take part.The main themes are: disability and health, but art and culture, education through sport, rural development and the environment are also important aims for us.The objectives are to create active citizen ship through awareness programs and through participation at all levels. Methods used are non-formal and creative.Beneficiaries are people with fewer opportunities and through our programs their chance of a job increases sifgnificantly. Often they feel marginalised because of disability, lack of education, poor economical background etc. Through our inclusive arts and craftsprogram, through sport and leisure activities they learn teamwork and participation. A lot of the learning is non-academic, through dialogue, practical skills teaching , learning from each other and through doing, in group projects.. FETAC (Further Education and Training Accredidation) level 1,2, is on offer .There are two community houses, (for those people who like to live with others), an organic garden with two polytunnels and a glasshouse and several craft workshops, where people do a variety of activities according to their own individual lifeplan, which they have deveoped themselves through a process of dialogue, decision making, etc.There is a large woodworkshop, where furniture and wooden craft objects are created, a craftroom where screenprinting, mosaic,and weaving or any other craft a volunteer is willing to teach us, is done. There is a sculpture studio, where large wooden and stone sculptures for commission and for exhibitions are being created by the particpants together with EVS volunteers and a Spanish artist, who is the facillitator. Some of those sculptures were on show in last years “Electric Picknick festival”.We also offer forms of healthy exersise and community participation through sport: yoga and relaxation, hillwalking, canoeing, swimming, horseriding and cycling. We take part in an inclusive sport partnership in Kilkenny.Kingsriver is about participating, learning, inclusion, dignity and respect and normality. It gives people with fewer opportunities those things that most of us take for granted in life: a home, a job , learning opportunities, choices, confidence, friends and a family athmospere.Kingsriver is a charity and works closely together with other voluntary organisations in the area and the local community