Biodiversity is nature’s way. It is far healthier and more resilient than monoculture. It includes all living beings -plants, animals, humans in this intricate web of Life. Many good people have been working for a long time to help us have inclusive, diverse, integrated communities. They are passionate about justice for those who [...]
Little did we know almost 36 years ago when our son, Brendon Alexander Purdy-Smith was born, that he would inspire us to devote our time to working with people who challenge us and others to think about how people learn, interact and create in different ways in community. The name Alexander means “Protector of [...]
Working with people of diverse abilities can be a pleasure when we change the way we look at challenging situations. One of our mentors, Louise Coigley, founder of Lis’n Tell in England, told us a story about a child with disruptive behaviours that nobody could figure out. She was called in to help. As [...]
Gathering together in circles is a vital part of ongoing community development. This is an essential and ancient part of our shared humanity. Creative Arts Programs can help communities gain the capacity to successfully integrate and value people with different abilities. Twenty-five years ago a group of families who had young children with [...]
A healthy community is one where every person is valued and each person values the health and wellbeing of the entire community. How can we use the arts to nourish healthy communities for all of us? The Alexander Society for Inclusive Arts has been engaging with people of all ages and abilities through [...]
We will be collaborating with Music in Communities Co-op and the Creative Music Workshop to facilitate a Jam Dance at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 74 in Wolfville, Nova Scotia on Sunday October 27. People of all ages and abilities are welcome to join us from 11:00am to 12:00pm for facilitated creative play to discover [...]
Harmony is healthy for everyone. Music teaches us what harmony sounds and feels like. We have been using music in Creative Arts Programs and Jam Dance for over two decades. The evidence is irrefutable. Music heals. Harmony is the result. Physical harmony where our bodies and minds feel well as well as social harmony [...]
The Alexander Society for Inclusive Arts was inspired by the Camphill Movement for Social Renewal. We have learned over two decades of delivering arts based programs in our community that it is good to include the land in our experiences. Artfully and Gently Including all kinds of people in our programs has also included engaging [...]
The Advent Candlelight Ceremony on December 10th served as a wonderful culmination to 2023. The evergreen spiral gradually filled with light as each person walked to the centre to light their candle and place it along the path of the spiral on the way out. The journey was accompanied by the gentle music of guitarist [...]