Bloom helps enrich the lives of disadvantaged young people mostly in East London, by giving them an opportunity to make a real connection with the living world around them.
Using parks that are on their doorstep we show them how to appreciate the beauty and vibrancy of the sounds, scents, tastes, textures, colours and patterns of nature. They find out in experience how nature works to bring about harmony and that they are part of this bigger whole. This gives them a broader perspective from which to view their own lives.
Our help matters to young people because with it they experience a sense of calmness, simple happiness and uncomplicated enjoyment that enhances their overall wellbeing. We also know from what they say that our workshops give them a welcome break from the world of screens and social media that tends to dominate much of their time.
We deliver two-hour outdoor workshops called ‘Wellbeing in Nature’ to schools during term time. Each workshop is for 30 pupils who we teach in 2 groups of 15. Workshops take place in a park near the school or in school grounds. We have run many sessions at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Schools have often asked us to do more so we are now offering a progression of 3 workshops across a year, one for each season. We know that a repeated experience of connecting with and learning about nature enables progress to take place and reinforces the effects of being in nature. Our workshops consist of (1) sensory activities when young people learn to smell, taste, touch and see in a new and vibrant way (2) a nature hunt when they explore their surroundings and find new facts about nature (3) harmony-team games when they learn to work together in the setting of the natural world (4) a period of quiet reflection on what nature has taught them in relation to their own lives (5) time to formulate their own pact with nature: what will they do in their life to connect with and benefit nature.
