educational trust provide fun, creative projects and arts based learning. Our approach to working within the community is consultative and we aim to broaden young people’s horizons by leading them from what they are familiar and comfortable with, to experiencing diverse and more challenging work. We are also committed to giving young people and their families the opportunity to visit their local theatre, museum or art gallery. Some of our family and community projects are featured below. To discuss our family learning programmes, please contact: Jane Duncan Ribeiro - Telephone: 020 7033 2380 or email us.

family fun! (weekend arts and crafts)

Our Family Fun! weekend arts and crafts sessions are themed around festivals and annual events and our workshops take place on the first Sunday of every other month.  We have programmed sessions to occur when cultural festivals and celebrations take place so that all local communities can access both meaningful and fun activities. In the winter months, families will be able to explore the themes of light, magic and tantalising tales as children make lanterns and share stories. Moving into spring the focus moves onto colour and growth as children decorate eggs, plant pots and plant their own bulbs which they can nurture.  Summer takes on a festival feel as carnival and friendship are celebrated and as we move towards the autumn children learn more about the natural world and harvest.  All materials are free and activities have been designed to include all ages and abilities with the focus on parents being able to develop their skills alongside their young ones. Please check our calendar for specific dates and details of our forthcoming Family Fun! events.  View our Family Fun! photos

tiny book club

Our Tiny Book Club was created so that children and their guardians can enjoy frequent access to reading, books and arts activities. With a focus on sharing and passing down stories, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and children are all invited into Eastside’s ‘Story Den’ or to attend a club in a local community venue (library, children’s centre etc.) to rediscover the joys of telling tales. The club has been designed to offer opportunities for children under 5 who will be starting their adventure into the wonderful world of books and it will also support parents in developing ways in which they can continue to enjoy books and stories with their children at home. The club also helps parents to re-discover the fun of reading together in a relaxed learning environment. The activities include creating arts and craft pieces relating to the books being read, storytelling and drama activities. Please check our calendar for specific dates and details of our forthcoming Tiny Book Club sessions.

dads club

Our Dads Club was formed to celebrate the very special relationship between fathers and their children because children that are raised with involved, responsible and committed fathers do better in school, work and life! - Eastside has created a series of Saturday morning workshops which enable this relationship to flourish as family groups have fun together. We have planned the activities to allow fathers and their children times to watch, discuss, share and create together. Activities are open to all fathers and children over 5 yrs; (mums are welcome too!) There are two strands to the Dads Club, our Saturday Morning Picture Show which supports discussion by giving fathers and children the opportunity to watch a fun film together and take part in related activities, and the Arts and Crafts strand which enables fathers to create a large-scale piece of art (mosaic, giant puppets, sculpture) with their children over a number of months. Please check our calendar for specific dates and details of our forthcoming Dads Club programme.

turn the page

Turn The Page is our drop-in book club for teenagers which offers opportunities for young people to engage with books and enjoy reading. Turn The Page encourages teenagers to find their voice and to develop critical opinions about their reading material. The club also provides opportunities for participants to meet with their peers and friends outside of school hours in a relaxed learning environment. Discussions and content are guided by the participants who explore all kinds of literature from traditional books and fiction to graphic novels, comics and even online ‘books’ and by using arts activities, message boards, blogs and social networking sites, then share their ideas with other young readers. Sessions take place in a number of venues including schools, libraries, community centres and at The Lower Eastside. Please contact us if you want to get involved or to recommend books for future sessions and please check our calendar for specific dates and details of our forthcoming Turn The Page sessions.

children's art day & the big draw

Children’s Art Day is a national programme which runs for a week in July to provide opportunities for children and young people to develop their skills in the visual arts. Our Children’s Art Day activities included drawing, story-telling and jewellery making. Children and their parents were able to create postcards for friends and family far away, they also made friendship bracelets and Rakhis (thread bracelets made for siblings). Children also drew and painted pictures of their friends and family and listened to stories exploring friendship. Eastside is also proud to take part in the Campaign for Drawing’s annual celebration The Big Draw. Big Draw Day is Saturday 10 October 2009, but events will take place from 1-31 October across the UK and internationally. The theme for our event this October is ‘Harvest’ and visitors to Eastside will be able to design and create super-size, weird and wonderful fruit and vegetables using exciting materials and vivid imaginations. Children will be invited to ‘grow’ their own produce alongside Eastside’s artist ‘gardeners’! - Please check our calendar for specific dates and details of all our forthcoming special events.

festivals, fêtes & carnivals

Eastside regularly provide outdoor activities and large-scale fun events for youth arts festivals, summer fêtes and carnivals throughout London. We can offer dance, drama, music or visual arts workshops for all types of events and venues, from small estate based fun days and local arts festivals to big London events such as the Notting Hill Carnival, Youth Music Week and National Play Day in Trafalgar Square (pictured). Please check our calendar for details of our forthcoming festival events.