Christmas lunch at GCC

Friday 21 -Christmas at the Glenfield Community Centre. Our Governance Group, including Early Learning Centre teachers. This is real community power! Sadly, we rarely have an occasion to spend time together. Next year our CMC programme will, once again, benefit children during the School Holiday in the Centre.

New Year plans

Coming back to New Zealand I am full of energy and have a great many new ideas to implement in programmes here at home. Our main concern is to support the development of Right Hemisphere / emotional sensory learning-through-touch to neutralise over-stimulation of Left logical /computer and IT related input. Our concern in 2013 will be to promote CMC as a Hauora programme into the mainstream education system. 

CMC in Marki

·        Just before returning to New Zealand from Poland a presentation was made at Primary School No 3 in Marki City.

CMC at Home project

·        The pilot programme initiated by Monika Mokrzyszczak & Eva Scherer “CMC at Home” is making progress. Once a week  before going to work a group of parents  involved with the project is visiting  kindergarten to receive a massage from their own child.  These parents will be involved in  “CMC at Home” from next year.

More Research

·        Another great news item is the master degree thesis proving the value of CMC programme for preschoolers (for more details go to http://childconnection.org.nz/research/ )

Whats new with CMC in Warsaw

·        25^th October – a meeting in Poland with teachers from  kindergartens using regularly  CMC . We weren’t sure how many people would attend and anticipated about twenty. We were delighted when 56 teachers turned up!  All were very interested in the course and we received very uplifting and constructive feedback. Because of a shortage of time I was only able to visit a few kindergartens practicing CMC (for an update see our website – Users)

CMC in Pakuranga Health Camp

·        24 September - we introduced Children Massaging Children massage at a school programme at the Pakuranga Health Camp. Participating teachers and Social workers enjoyed our presentation. We donated a large package of Tui Massage Waxes donated by our generous sponsor Tui Balms of Wainui Bay, Takaka, New Zealand (www.tuibalms.co.nz)

SSPA Conference

·        20^th September - participation in the SSPA Conference in Wellington, New Zealand. Eva’s presentation “Attachment skills for ELC and Parents” attracted full and interested attendance by the conference participants. You can find the full programme at http://sspa.org.nz/images/stories/sspa2012.pdf
Glimpses from the lecture soon in our You-tube channel .

AGM, De Paul House, Anti Violence

Well,  it's been a long time since we have been blogging.

Not that nothing has been happening, in fact quite the opposite.

A.G.M.

Firstly, we would like to share a glimpse of our A.G.M.

The 12th. Child Connection A.G.M. was held in the same place as the last two, namely the Copthorne Hotel on the Auckland City waterfront.

This time we enjoyed as a special guests, Jill Morgan and Gina Howell .    Jill, a researcher, has continued her study on Children Massaging Children - massage in schools programme.

A.G.M. Copthorne Hotel

De Paul House presentation.

De Paul House offers support to solo mothers with children who have gone through difficulties in life.  Eva presented a session to show mothers the importance of bonding through secure attachment, and followed up with a practical demonstration to show how  touch by using  massage is a way of achieving this.   For some of the mothers and children, it was a new experience, and will require them to practice in order to benefit from these new skills.

De Paul House. Eva demonstrating

Family Violence Prevention, North Shore

Child Connection Trust has been involved with the  Family Violence Prevention North Shore  project for  a number of years.

Eva gave the Group background and details of the programmes delivered by the Child Connection Trust.   Child Connection promotes touch and sensory stimulation systems into education settings. They have developed age-specific programmes for early childhood, primary and college settings

The group then had an in-depth discussion about the role schools are having to increasingly play in fostering students emotional and social well-being; how the community sector could play a supportive role, and current concerns for schools around professional boundaries.

 

Farewell to Fenja

We are very sorry to see Fenja  come to the end of her stay in New Zealand, and for us, the loss of beautiful person who has given so richly to Child Connection Trust.   It was Fenja who developed our Social Media presence on the Web, and gave us a blueprint for our PR work.   So farewell for now Fenja and enjoy your well deserved holiday.   We are waiting to hear how you are getting on, and reading your correspondence on  your work with children in Chile and Germany.

Intergenerational Forum Part II

Wow, are we excited here at Child Connection Trust!

You may remember my post a few weeks ago (Intergenerational Forum) when I mentioned attending the inaugural meeting of the Intergenerational Forum. As a result of that meeting, we now have our first project.

Before I go into the details of this new project, a bit of background. 

As I am sure you are aware, the Child Connection Trust is fundamentally concerned with the vital need for early childhood bonding - the attachment a child develops with its nearest caregiver(s). In the modern scientific world we live in, this essential need was first put forward by John Bowlby, a British psychoanalyst in the 1950s. His message was very simple: Human contact ranks alongside food and water as a physiologic need for children.

Since that time there have been many scientific studies that have backed up his claims. The obvious people at the forefront of  bonding is perceived to be Mother and Child. But father, siblings, grandparents and anyone who loves a baby and can spend time with it can create bonding.

Physical touch, breast feeding, bathing baby - there are so many ways that the bonding process can develop between them. But grandparents of all cultures form a special group of people adding a unique experience to the many strands that make up the total that is child bonding. One of these is the simple act of "just playing" with the child.

But in the modern world there can be problems. Young parents are more likely to live far away from grandparents. Secondly, and more insidious, is the emergence of the "digital world". It is just so easy to plonk the child in front of the TV or the computer. 

We feel that the art of "playing" with children is in danger of becoming lost, and as time goes on young parents will be at loss to know the many ways of playing.

So, to get back to the story, we are currently developing a new intergenerational programme called "Love Heritage". This programme is prepared for families in particular to recall, acknowledge and record games that our grandparents used to play with their children, and maybe, still play with their grandchildren.

We are now contacting different ethnic groups and asking them if they are interested in participating in this worthwhile project. It would be great if you, or someone you know, would be happy to demonstrate games that you play with your children.

If you feel you can help in any way, large or small, please let us know and we will contact you with more details.

Just leave a comment below or use the contact form on our Website.   
We are looking forward to hearing from YOU!

 

The CMC Facilitator Series - Part 1

Say hi to...

Yoka Hermanides

Yoka is an energetic and powerful woman getting hands-on. She has been keen to work with Child Connection for a long time and is happy to finally be able to deliver the Children Massaging Children programme to the kids. Combining professional skills with a lot of passion for the craft makes her an excellent facilitator.

Yoka has a Diploma in Sports/ Deep Tissue Massage Therapy and is a Certified Yoga Teacher. She also offers One-on-one Pilates Instruction and is a professional member of Massage NZ. Additional modalities include Lymphatic Drainage, Reflexology, Cranial-Sacral Therapy, Pregnancy Massage, as well as Therapeutic and Relaxation Massage.

Born in the Netherlands Yoka came to New Zealand 25 years ago as a qualified chef. Due to her interest in alternative healing she studied many modalities including massage. In 1998 she gained her Diploma in Therapeutic Massage and Wholistic Sports and for the last 15 years has run her own business the 'New Lynn Sports Clinic'. Child Connection gives her the opportunity to share and enjoy the joy of children.

”Over the years your focus changes and with two pre-schoolers, the health and well being of children starts to surface,” Yoka describes her own experience.

The Children Massaging Children programme is ideal for pre- and primary schools and with the many connections her children have made through school and group activities the contacts are made easily. 

“It is lovely to see the smiles on the children’s faces and witness the happy comments they give. Not only from receiving but on giving the massage too,” Yoka states. “I never even thought I would work with children but facilitating this program has given me lots of joy.”

Yoka has been delivering the CMC course at ‘Learning Edge’ at Pre-Montessori School in Glen Eden short before mother’s day to teach the two to five-year-olds massage that they could give to their mums as a special present. 

 “Thank you for teaching my two children massage. I did receive a wonderful massage on mother’s day,” marvels Solomi, one of the mums. “You must have taught them well.” 

Not only the kids and parents at Pre-Montessori School have benefited from the programme. Yoka has been teaching around 30 children ages five to ten at the holiday program ‘Kereru Kids’ in the school hall at Woodlands Park Primary School as well and furthermore has visited the Dutch Language School in Titirangi, where she did massage with 25 kids between four and nine years old. 

“Look at the boys. I can’t believe they are the same boys. Usually they are wild and unruly, now they are sitting concentrating on giving a massage, or they melt away when receiving a massage”, says Ton, one of the teachers. “I want to do this every week.” 

The school has sent out photos of the course to all parents inviting them to come in earlier next time to receive a massage from their children.  

“On the first lesson, the children are curious and very excited,” Yoka notes. “The second time, they are straight away more concentrated on giving a massage and relaxed while receiving. Every time, there is at least one child asking to repeat the massages.” 

Yoka remembers very well one of the most beautiful moments CMC has given her until now. 

“The other day I passed by at Pre-Montessori School, where two weeks earlier I had done CMC three times”, she tells. “As soon as I walked in, two children ran up to me and hugged me and asked if I came to give more massage. I was pleasantly surprised. It made my day.”

For more photos see our Child Connection Facebook page!