Funded by Harrow Giving, this project delivers Indian dance and yoga workshops in community centres and libraries for children and young people aged 5–18 years from deprived areas in Harrow. It particularly targets those of Indian, Bangladeshi, and Sri Lankan ethnicity, who experience social, economic, and health inequalities and have been affected by Covid-19. We engage participants across all genders to ensure wider access to the benefits of our activities.
This 10-week programme of dance-based movement caters to different age groups to ensure activities are appropriate and engaging for all participants. Footwork sequences and arm movements incorporating floor patterns improve cognitive skills, balance, flexibility, hand/eye coordination and spatial awareness. Hand gestures and facial expression sequences facilitate participants in expressing their inner selves and releasing emotion. Group work tasks encourage collaboration, strengthen mutual support and promote respect among participants.
Yoga practice, meditation and mindfulness are incorporated into the sessions to promote mental health and wellbeing, building resilience to support participants throughout their lives.
This project successfully enables us to reach South Asian children and young people from vulnerable and low-income backgrounds who have suffered as a result of the pandemic. Our activities are supported by various Harrow venue partners, including Cedars Youth & Community Centre, YMCA, DAWN Charitable Trust, Wealdstone Youth Centre, Wealdstone Library, and Greenhill Library.
Feedback from participants of the Harrow Health and Well-Being Project
I feel refreshed and delighted after each workshop.
(Age 8)
I feel happy to join the workshop because it is really fun.
(Age 8)
I liked doing the animals stories.
(Age 14, specially abled)
I enjoy acting the different characters and learning new things.
(Age 18, specially abled)
I liked learning about emotions.
(Age 8)
I enjoyed learning new jumping steps and poses.
(Age 18, specially abled)
The best thing I liked today was learning emotions and making s story.
(Age 8)
I liked Kathak steps because it was very relaxing.
(Age 8)