Divergence: A Festival of Madness 2019 (Scoop press release)
Divergence: A Festival of Madness 2019
Celebrating the richness of Mad, Neurodivergent and Divergent Lives
Divergence: A Festival of Madness is a week-long celebration in Christchurch from 30 March – 6 April 2019 which will include a variety of different community events, seminars, shows and awareness raising opportunity designed to re-frame how we view mental distress/ madness/ unique worldviews.
The project is being led by a group of people who work in the mental health and addictions sector in Christchurch as managers, peer support workers and educators. We seek to create a space where we can celebrate seeing the world through different lenses rather than the “normal” or neurotypical way. This is an opportunity to create a space which is relational and experiential as opposed to medical or diagnostic.
We have opted to do this project as volunteers outside of our organisational roles so that it is not seen as being part of a "mental health service". We aim to provide spaces in our community for people with diverse life experiences so we can connect, celebrate, showcase and share the richness of our lives, to one another and the wider community. We want the general public to have an opportunity to be amongst diversity and have an opportunity to understand what divergent people bring to the world.
The Divergence initiative is the brain child of Hannah Komatsu who is a trained social worker and a peer educator in the local mental health sector. She has had her own lived experience of divergence and wants to develop this initiative to raise awareness of the various experiences people have and that diversity should be better understood and celebrated. Hannah is supported by a team of enthusiastic volunteers with experience of event management, project coordination and awareness raising.
The week of events will include our mad wisdom cafe, mad yarning, community listening posts, a mad poetry evening, comedy night, a black dog walk in Hagley Park, a cabaret show and a more formal one day seminar.
Christchurch is a city that has and continues to undergo huge stress. We believe that nurturing human connection and enabling meaningful conversations that are based around validation rather than problem solving is a vital part of our cities healing process. We believe that through community initiatives and projects like this sitting outside of services we can increase social connectedness, reduce isolation and support communities to thrive.
For events information for the festival week visit www.divergencenz.com...
www.scoop.co.nz...
Only the Sharpest Minds Will Get This Riddle… Are You One of Them?
I twinkle and glow, guiding paths in the snow.
I’m not the sun, moon, or star in the sky,
yet on rooftops and trees, you’ll see me up high.
What am I?
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Poll: Are quality products on the decline?
Gift-giving looks a lot different these days when you can pick up super-cheap goods made overseas. But do they last?
Do you have any old items like appliances, electronics or clothing that have stood the test of time? Share below!
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91.8% Yes
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7.3% No
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0.9% Other - I'll share below
Kmart duvet recall
Kmart will be recalling a number of their Anko duvet sets.
What you need to know:
- The recall is involving Christmas-themed duvets: Mrs & Mrs Claus Reversible Queen Size Bed Quilt Cover Set and Christmas Elf Reversible Single Bed Quilt Cover Set
- A recall of the products began in Australia following health concerns from several families.
- One woman said she thought she was having a heart attack after using one of the products which smelt of diesel.
- One customer said she’d purchased the quilt covers and said they smelled like gas. Another mum said hers did not have that smell but claimed her son developed a rash that only went away when he stopped using the product.
- The product is no longer available for purchase on the Kmart website.
Regardless of whether you have experienced an issue, customers who have purchased this item may return the product to store for a refund.
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