Circular Sounds

Introductory Session – 14th July 2011 London, UK

darren — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 22:57:24 +0000

Come and spend 90 minutes with us discovering the basics of the CS process. Learn how play can change your emotional state and start to explore your inner wisdom by creating mandalas as a group from very simple elements. Get to know yourself and others a little better while playing with colour and shape!

Introductory Session – 20th July 2011 London, UK

darren — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 23:00:12 +0000

Cultural Management Training – Srebrenica, BiH, 7-13 November 2011

darren — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 23:02:00 +0000

Darren will be running Circular Sounds workshops for staff at local NGO’s and for young people in the town of Srebrenica as part of the two year European project “Wake Up” which has been teaching vocational skills around a career in cultural management in partnership with 5 European cultural organisations. More details to follow.

CHOCS Stakeholders Meeting – Brighton, UK

darren — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 22:47:32 +0000

To take the CHOCS project a stage further a stakeholder’s meeting was called to bring potential partners together to discuss ways of working together. There were representatives from the Business world (Southern Water, Bunkers Solicitors, The Grand Hotel), Education (teachers and students from Varndean, Shoreham Academy and Dorothy Stringer High Schools), Charities (ABC Trust, Kiya Survivors, The Magic Bus, Shika) and the management team from the Edward Starr Charitable Trust, the sponsors of the project. The meeting was facilitated by Darren using the Circular Sounds process to gather ideas and bring people together. It was a very successful event and paved the way for a year long project at Varndean School, culminating in December 2011. Three more large secondary schools in the Brighton UK area are starting their CHOCS project in January 2012.

CHOCS Introductory Day – Varndean School, Brighton, UK

darren — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 22:43:18 +0000

CHOCS (Children Helping Other Children Smile) is a fundraising project for Year 9/10 students (13/14 year olds) run by the Edward Starr Charitable Trust. Schools are paired with a children’s charity of their choice in the Developing World and mentored in practical event management skills by a local business. Direct contact is made with the children being helped so that there is real understanding of the issues involved and a direct response can be made to fulfill real needs.
The introductory day for all CHOCS projects is run using the CS process. At Varndean School 25 students took part and learned about 3 charities – The Watoto Wanaweza After School Centre (Shika) in Tanzania; The Rainbow House (Kiya Survivors) in Peru; and The Magic Bus in India. A presentation was made about each and at the end of the day the students chose which one they wanted to partner with for a year of fundraising and advocacy. This year Varndean chose Shika, with support from their business mentor Andrew Mosley and his team from The Grand Hotel, Brighton.
To learn more about CHOCS and the Edward Starr Charitable Trust click here.

SEN Project – Falmer High School, Brighton, UK

admin — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 15:57:36 +0000

Circular Sounds was invited to run a five day programme with 26 children between the ages of 11 and 14 with special behavioural and learning needs. The programme was to complement school activities around themes of Emotional Literacy and to provide tools for the children to use in managing their own behaviour. Each day began with games and play activities, leading into a full group guided imagery followed by creative activities which led to a public presentation on Day Five in front of family, teachers and friends. The children became increasingly adept at managing themselves and developed new friendships, skills and confidence. The final performance was a joyous event incorporating music, text and art work created by the group during the week and allowed every member of the group to shine.

For more information download a full report here: CS Report Falmer 2007 (32)

The Mandala Experience – Melbourne, Australia

admin — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 15:56:49 +0000

Pictured here are some of the happy participants in Joellen’s recent presentation of “The Mandala Experience”, in Melbourne, Australia. This session introduces the mandala element of the Circular Sounds process, focusing particularly on how it may be used as a “tool” both to deepen personal self awareness and, stimulate and enrich creative expression.

Somatic Experiencing

admin — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 03:48:22 +0000

September 2009 – September 2011

Darren has begun his training in Somatic Experiencing. Somatic Experiencing® is a body-awareness approach to trauma being taught throughout the world. It is the result of over forty years of observation, research, and hands-on development by Dr. Peter Levine.

Based upon the realization that human beings have an innate ability to overcome the effects of trauma, Somatic Experiencing has touched the lives of many thousands. SE® restores self-regulation, and returns a sense of aliveness, relaxation and wholeness to traumatized individuals who have had these precious gifts taken away.

Peter has applied his work to combat veterans, rape survivors, Holocaust survivors, auto accident and post surgical trauma, chronic pain sufferers, and even to infants after suffering traumatic births.

Launch of Mandalalily.com

admin — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 03:41:03 +0000

Just launched!

Joellen’s mandala website is now “live”. For a sneak preview of Joellen’s mandalas, visit the Gallery page on this Circular Sounds site. Or – to view all galleries, obtain details for commissioning a mandala, or perhaps to learn more about the mandala process through her Mandala Journal page, visit Mandalalily.com

Life Purpose Workshop – The Michael Centre, Melbourne, Australia

admin — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 02:05:05 +0000

What gets you out of bed in the morning?
On the surface that could be a trivial question but do you know the real answer that lies deep inside you? Research says that discovering and living your life purpose significantly extends your years, giving you a deeply personal reason to get out of bed every day for the rest of your life. However, our world seems to become faster and more complex by the day and this can leave us wondering – Where do I fit in?
As things change around us we need to know how to adapt and turn potential disasters into fantastic opportunities. The good news is that each one of us already has the answers, we just need the right creative tools to unlock them. But despite the fact that even business leaders and politicians are recognizing that the only real capital for the future is the ability to think creatively, most people think creativity only belongs to the artistically talented. CS teaches otherwise by presenting you with the keys to your unique Creative Perception. That is – new ways of seeing how your skills, talents and present life circumstances equip you for change and make getting out of bed each day an exciting and boundless opportunity.