Are you interested in getting the best out of your group whether it be in a community or a commercial setting? Do you want to learn practical skills to support you to confidently lead, foster creativity, improve cohesiveness and effectiveness across your group? CCM’s new Leadership and Expressive Arts course has been developed to do just that. Today we talk with Dr Robert Boyle, Head Lecturer at CCM and co-writer of CCM’s accredited 10539NAT Diploma of Leadership and Expressive Arts Group Work.
Tell us, what is the course about?
“It’s the only course of its kind in Australia. The focus is on harnessing people’s own natural way so that they can develop their leadership qualities and confidently use them in whatever field they are working in. There’s so many groups currently running out there that don’t really focus on the creative aspects of the possibilities within the group members. Students learn creative ways, beyond the traditional methods, to engage with people when working with group members. The course combines a cutting-edge leadership model with a transpersonal perspective and expressive arts. It is supported by philosophy, intellect and academic validation.”
Who would be interested in studying something like this?
“This course will appeal to any number of people who are interested in working with others especially in group scenarios. Some people may already have developed their leadership skills and are seeking more creative ways to engage with people in groups to support them in their roles. It is for all those people who are interested in using creativity and using different ways to approach situations across the community sector and the business community.
What will I learn?
“Students learn a variety of processes including mindful meditation, visualisation, metaphor, imagery and nature immersion within an experiential methodology. This allows graduates of the course to have the knowledge and skills to confidently work as a group leader using expressive arts, providing services to a wide range or organisations”
But I am not creative or an artist. Can I still do the course?
“There is no need to have any previous experience working in a creative role or knowledge of expressive arts to benefit from this course. Some people may not think that they are creative or ‘good’ at any forms of art. However, once we start working with people, and they are in the right environment, then the creativeness naturally flows. Students are taken through a proper process where they can explore their creativity and own it. It’s not a matter of anyone applying it on them. It’s a matter of eliciting it from them. Once we start seeing the world in that way and people in that way, the world changes and it’s much more expansive. We are all creative beings and creativity is within all of us even if at first we don’t feel that way”
Where is this course running?
“We run the course at our Pymble campus, not far from Pymble station. It’s easy to get here and we have beautiful parkland on our doorstep. A lot of the work we do is in the natural environment. Taking learning from the classroom and creatively engaging with nature in the natural world. When we ask people where they feel most at home, where they feel safe and where they feel free, invariably 90-95% would say in nature. So, if that’s where people feel most free and alive in nature, it stands to reason why not take the classroom into nature? This way the classroom is very expansive and supports working creatively with the expansiveness within people.”
What if you want to learn more about this Leadership and Expressive Arts course
“Join us at one of our Information Workshops and get some experience of what it is like to engage creatively. You can explore the campus, meet the lecturers and chat to past graduates of the college. If you are interested then come along and make your own mind about it”
