On 23^rd /24^th of January, a new group of Children Massaging Children facilitators  were trained at Wellpark College in Albany . Welcome to our CMC family!  Also, congratulations to Yoka and  Reah for upgrading your instructor’s level. We plan to significantly increase the number of children receiving CMC  in primary schools , after school and holiday programmes in New Zealand  this  year. 

Touch for blind children

On the 14 of January I had the great pleasure to listen to an introductory presentation by Prof. Boguslaw Marek, from Lublin University in Poland who visited Auckland to present his lectures during the 2013 Biennial Conference of the South Pacific Educators in Vision Impairment. Touch which we perceive as a tool for building attachment bonding and empathy plays a very important role in the cognitive development of a blind person. Development of these simple looking toys takes a lot of time, and have a significant effect towards a blind persons development.

 

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/ )