Body Wisdom is a dance project for the over 50's and is run by Workers' Educational Association in partnership with Echo Echo Dance Theatre Company since 2009.

Forget about needing to be young and athletic. In this project the wisdom and experience written into the bones, muscles and sinews as we grow older is a positive advantage and offers a great opportunity to explore dance even if you have never danced before.

So if you are aged 50+ and interested in dance and movement or maybe you just loved to dance when you were younger and are looking for a new opportunity to dance once again or maybe you have never had the opportunity to dance before, then this is the project for you. There is no cost to participate.

There are places available for new participants and former experience in dance is not necessary. You will be introduced to a wonderful creative movement process that relies on "the wisdom of your body" rather than on any form of athleticism.

For more information or to book contact:

Sinead Devine @ WEA on: 028 7136 9947

Following the All Right Lads? Conference last week Professor Barry Golding, President of the Australian Men’s Sheds Association and Dr Rob Mark, University of Strathclyde launched a book ‘Men Learning through Life’.

Concerns about men’s attitudes to and involvement in lifelong and life-wide learning have recently emerged in many countries.  There is a growing interest in finding ways to increase men’s participation and promote practices that will contribute to men’s learning and wellbeing particularly in contexts and life stages for men beyond paid work. 

‘Men Learning through Life’ is a definitive text on this subject and showcases international contributions presenting and examining evidence from theory, research, policy and practice, illustrated with case studies.

Man Matters held its ‘All Right Lads?’ Conference in Crumlin Road Gaol, Belfast on Thursday 27^th February 2014.  The purpose of the Conference was to influence policy relevant to men’s work and strengthen the practice of men’s work.

A packed audience at the All Right Lads? Conference	The banner in support of men's work

Today (Thursday 27^th February) sees Man Matters host Northern Ireland’s biggest ever conference on men’s issues. The ‘All Right Lads?’

international conference on the development of men’s work and the men’s sector in Northern Ireland will take place in Crumlin Road Gaol,

Belfast.  

The Workers' Educational Association were invited by the Bogside and Brandywell Health Forum and the OLT Health for Life Project to develop a drama project for older people on Keeping Healthy in Winter and it was presented in Pilot's Row Community Centre on February 11th to approximately 70 older people on a day full of snow and ice. It certainly proved to be a topical subject for the weather that day.

Improving Equality for Men and Boys in Northern Ireland?  What does this mean?

Throughout the winter Man Matters has been delivering a series of courses to members of the Armagh Men’s Shed.

Among the courses run in the Shed were using IT, digital photography and First Aid for the appointed person.

The Armagh shed is a constant hive of activity and is a fantastic resource for local men who come to work in the workshop, attend classes or just have a chat with other men in the group.

Well done lads and here’s looking forward to continued co-operation and growth of this very valuable resource for men.

This winter a third batch of students attained the Level 3 award in Community Tutor Training with Man Matters and were awarded their certificates at two Men’s Sheds venues in Belfast and Armagh.

This Level 3 award has provided the skills and knowledge for almost all our students to become working community tutors and as a gateway for two students to progress on to the Level 4 certificate with one of those enrolling for the BSc in Community Development at the University of Ulster.

Today Man Matters met three of the judges who shortlisted the project for an AONTAS STAR Award.

Introduction

Man Matters is a men's project aimed at providing training and learning opportunities for men across Northern Ireland. It is a project led by the Workers' Educational Association in partnership with Home-Start NI, the Men's Health Forum in Ireland and Parenting NI.

The project started in September 2009 and runs for five years thanks to support from the Big Lottery Fund. The aim of the project is to encourage men to engage in learning in the areas of health, family, learning and community/volunteering.

Over the five years of the project Man Matters will have worked with well in excess of 2,000 men who have faced significant barriers to engagement often due to poor educational attainment, poor health, low self esteem, unemployment or isolation.