Why volunteer? – Need help getting back into work? Want to give back to the community?

Volunteers do a wonderful job and CoolTan couldn’t exist without the work they do. If you would like to help us please do get in touch.

Volunteering at CoolTan Arts can help you gain confidence and new skills, get some work experience, make new friends. Surveys show that volunteering can make people 50% happier, so why not improve your own well being by helping out at CoolTan. Other benefits of helping at CoolTan include access to our events, an opportunity to sign up for trips to exhibitions, and social events such as our annual Volunteer dinner.

Organised by CoolTan Arts to celebrate World Mental Health Day, which takes place annually on October 10, the Altered States exhibition at Dulwich Picture Gallery, explores themes relating to changes in the way people feel, see or think.

Artists from CoolTan Arts, have been working with artists from the Dulwich Picture Gallery to produce art work for the exhibition.

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Louisa Nicholl, one of the CoolTan artists wrote a poem entitled Harvest, on which she based her artwork for the exhibition.

She said: “I was absolutely amazed at how everybody’s idea of an altered state was interpreted in totally different ways – it was a lovely process to watch my poem become a print.”

Kathrin Kirrmann, communications officer at the CoolTan Arts said: “CoolTan Arts’ Altered States exhibition celebrates World Mental Health Day, a world wide and a unified effort to promote greater public awareness and understanding of mental health and mental illness.

CoolTan Arts will have a stall at Morley College on the 6th of December.

61 Westminster Bridge Rd, London, SE1 7HT

The artworks in this exhibition were created by CoolTan Arts to celebrate Black History Month.

CoolTan Artists worked at the Elephant & Castle Shopping Centre and used the environment of Elephant & Castle to explore in the broadest possible sense what Black History Month might mean in a multicultural environment.

CoolTan Arts would like to thank Morley College, and in particular Kathleen McLauchlan, Lena Augustinson and Jane Hartwell for organising this exhibition.

Map and Directions for Morley College

CoolTan Arts Largactyl Shuffle Sponsored Walk on 10 October 2009 attracted over 80 people, marching to celebrate World Mental Health Day and raise money for CoolTan Arts.

Walkers were welcomed by Michelle Baharier, Chief Executive of CoolTan Arts, the Mayor of Lambeth, Christopher Wellbelove, past mayor of Southwark Bob Skelly, London Assembly member and deputy chief of Transport Valerie Shawcross and TV Chef Rosemary Shrager. All the speakers highlighted the importance of art and walking on everyone’s mental health and well being, the social element of a community walk and how it can help people overcome barriers and stigma.

The aim of the role is to break down stigma experienced by people with mental distress, the general public and encourage people to exercise. It involves research in local history, developing activities and exercises, together telling stories of history in relation to mental health and the London borough of Southwark, researching, meeting people.

If you are excited by this, would like to develop your team leading skills, are creative in planning and designing group activities, then you are just the person we are looking for!

We require volunteers on Thursdays 2pm – 4pm to take part in the Largactyl Shuffle development workshop.

Tasks

• Lead groups of people on a historical walk (or support walk leaders)
• Inspire people within the mental health community to take short walks
• Research mental health history in relation to the routes
• Get people motivated and able to take short walks
• Show people around green spaces in the London Borough of Southwark
• Write up the historical notation for walk leaders

Personal Qualities needed

• Reliability
• Ability to use initiative and inspire others
• Respectful to others
• Ability to speak in small groups
• Ability  to remember and research historical facts
• Ability  to walk at least 5 miles
• Ability to support people who cannot walk further than 100 yards and inspire them to do so
• Commitment to this project for at least six months

Benefits of volunteers

• opportunity to develop meaningful skills
• opportunity to gain and accredited qualification
• opportunity to get useful work experience and obtain a reference
• safe and supportive environment

Location

Unit B, 237 Walworth Rd, LONDON SE17 1RL

CONTACT: Asia Wieloch, asia@cooltanarts.org.uk Tel: 0207 701 2696

We are looking for people who might be interested in contributing stories about mental health and the labels that you have been given for our podcasts, as a part of an ongoing project at CoolTan Arts, our Funny Farm web site and forum. It could be funny, shocking, inspiring, or simply yours; tell us about the labels you have been confronted with in life, at work and/or in hospital; learn to record and create conversations online and meet people; share and listen to your own stories.

Have a look at www.afunnyfarm.org.uk for inspiration.

If interested, please contact Kathrin at CoolTan Arts on 020 77012696 or kathrin@cooltanarts.org.uk.

Are you interested in publicity and marketing? Do you want to help spread the word about CoolTan Arts?

We need volunteers to distribute our publicity material in the neighbourhood, or attend events as CoolTan Arts ambassador. You need to be committed to our cause, be reliable, good at networking and talking to people.

If you are interested please contact Kathrin at 020 7701 2696 or kathrin@cooltanarts.org.uk .

CoolTan Arts is looking for volunteer office assistants to provide administrative support, help at the reception and with general office duties. This role involves a lot of different tasks and is crucial for the smooth running of the organisation. You  must demonstrate an ability to work unsupervised and in a team, use your own initiative and communicate appropriately with a diverse range of people. A sense of humour is essential, and a willingness to help with a wide variety of tasks from cleaning to data entry, talking to participants to answering the telephone, stuffing envelopes or accompanying groups on trips.