The Friendship Cafe
Walsall C.I.C.
The Friendship Cafe is dedicated to improving the lives of their clients and uses the concept of the Five Ways To Well-being devised by the New Economics Foundation.
The Five Ways provides a useful checklist when we design our activities to ensure that they are providing the right ingredients to make peoples’ lives more fulfilling.
Connect
Relationships of all different kinds are good for mental health, humans are a social animal, relationships with family, friends, colleagues and neighbours; at home, work, school or in your local community.
Our activities are designed to bring people together, using a variety of themes and activities, so that people connect, talk, socialise and engage. We provide a safe, comfortable environment within which relationships can be established and nurtured.
Be Active
Go for a run, walk, stroll or shuffle. Exercise is good for your body but also for your mind. Exercise causes the release of various chemicals which make you feel better. It doesn’t matter what you do, just as long as you do it.
The Friendship Cafe provides opportunities for physical activity in the form of dancing, singing, games, walks and outings. The Friendship Cafe Choir enables attendees to expand their lung capacity which in turn can improve both mobility and neurological function.
Take Notice
This is about being ‘mindful’ being aware of ourselves and the world around us. This lets us to experience things afresh that we have taken for granted. Taking notice, being ‘mindful’ is known to reduce and help with depression.
In each Friendship Cafe session,we provides a variety of activities to stimulate the mind. Through guided reminiscence we exercise memory and share common experience which improves self worth and feelings of belonging. This in turn improves cognitive function and benefits both physical and mental health.
In addition we provide yoga sessions for relaxation and wellbeing which focus specifically on mindfulness.
Keep Learning
Learning increases both self-confidence and self-esteem and improved resilience. Plus, it is fun.
As a people led organisation, we consult with our users about their areas of interest and of expertise. This shapes the activities we provide. Our attendees often teach the rest of us how to knit, crochet and even line dance,in addition to learning from the activities we provide such as singing, cardmaking, crafting and hula hooping! We also engage the services of other organisations to teach photography and ICT.
Give
Giving, whether it is time, money, attention, is associated with positive well-being. It stimulates the reward centres in the brain and can give a sense of purpose and self-worth.
When people first come to the Friendship Cafe, they often feel they have nothing to give, that they are at a low point and they need help from others. However, within a very short space of time, with support and encouragement, they become an integral part of making others feel valued. Their confidence and self esteem grows along with their circle of friends.
A number of attendees give by volunteering within the Friendship Cafe, others by teaching us how to do specific crafts. We also provide opportunities to engage in symbiotic relationship with the wider community by volunteering and by making items for other organisations including The NHS and The Buddy Bag Foundation. This instills a sense of purpose and increases self confidence and feelings of self worth.
If you would like to find out more about what we can do for your organisation, your staff and your clients, please contact us for a discussion. We really look forward to hearing from you!