Isle of Wight charity Independent Arts has written a toolkit to help anyone set up an Anxiety Café in their community.
The toolkit will be available to download via the Independent Arts website offering tips and ideas on how to run a safe space for people living with Anxiety.
Kerry Weston, Co-Founder of Anxiety Café, says:
“From the very beginning of Anxiety Café we had always hoped the idea would spread further than the Isle of Wight. We would love every community to have an Anxiety Café, providing a safe space for those who live with anxiety to make new friends in a place where they are understood”.
Hannah Griffiths, Independent Arts’ Operations Manager and Anxiety Café Co-Founder, adds:
“It would be wonderful to see Anxiety Cafés popping up in every workplace, place of worship, community centre, school – the possibilities are endless.”
Newport Daytime Anxiety Café is celebrating a year of photography with their new exhibition ‘Through Anxious Eyes’, which opens at The People’s Pop Up Gallery, 33 High Street, Newport today (Thursday 14th November). There is an accompanying fundraising calendar featuring the work of the group available for a donation of £4. Members of the group will also be volunteering in the gallery to talk about Anxiety Café and their photography work.
Anxiety Café is supported by funding from The People’s Health Trust. Comic Relief have helped fund the production of the Anxiety Café toolkit.
The People’s Pop Up Gallery (PPUG) is open Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 10:30-15:30.
To find out more about Anxiety Café, contact Independent Arts on 01983 822437 or visit their website www.independentarts.org.uk.
no we do not want anxiety cafe’s everywhere – that just perpetuates fragility and weakness.
Perhaps if todays snowflakes had been taught when they were children that everyone is not a winner for taking part, there are losers, the world is not a safe space and that you will get hurt and scared at times, then they will have been prepared to deal with adult situations and move on, rather than getting anxious and crying into a corner.