The Arc Healthy Living Centre A Dream Come True!
The ARC Healthy Living Centre funded through the New Opportunities Fund officially opened on the 15th October 2001. The airy interior is in marked contrast to the original appearance of the four terraced houses, which have metamorphosed into the Healthy Living Centre.
The ARC Centre seeks to promote the holistic health care needs of a rural population addressing physical, psychological, social, educational, environmental and economic factors and ensuring accessibility of services through rural transport initiatives and childcare provision. The Arc Centre is based on the principles of equity, integration, and excellence.
The centre has since opening provided over 1000 counselling hours and 2000 training hours annually and visitor numbers have exceeded all expectation.
Arc Key stones for development are:
- Enterprise
- Health
- Social Development
- Education
- Arts
- Environment
The completion of the bricks and mortar phase of the ARC Healthy Living Centre has been possible due to the combined efforts and support of numerous individuals, community groups and public bodies, all working in partnership.
ARC is the final piece in a jigsaw that has been carefully put in place over 5 years. In 1996, when the Irvinestown Community Partnership was formed, one of the early decisions the Partnership made was that we should light a candle rather than curse the dark, that rather than continually complaining about the problems our community faces, we should take possession of these problems and confront them. And so it was that in 1996 the notion of a Family Life Centre was formed, and sometime later the Healthy Living Centre concept and funding came on stream.
The Irvinestown Community Partnership already has in place the IDARE drug awareness programme, the CHERISH Sure Start support programme for 0-4 year olds, the ACTIVE ALLSORTS childcare provision, and the FAST Rural Transport service. With the intention that the childcare provision and the rural transport will enable those who are isolated by location or situation to make use of the services provided in the ARC.
There are difficulties with barriers between groups and with displacement, in addition to common concerns such as the bringing up of children, worries about the world we find ourselves in, the problems of loneliness and low self-esteem. The beauty of the Healthy Living Centre concept is that is wide in scope and flexible. The ARC Healthy Living Centre can be whatever our community needs it to be.
Healthy living is not just being about the absence of disease, but about the presence of well-being, on every level, including the mental, emotional and spiritual as well as physical, psychological, social, educational, environmental and economic. It is possible to address these issues through the partnership approach developed within ARC. This allows for cross-referral from us to voluntary organisations and statutory services. The ARC has become a venue and a catalyst for social cohesion, that it is an environment that is welcoming and inclusive to all, regardless of their needs, that is becomes a social focal point for our community, where many social well-being services can be accessed conveniently while maintaining peoples privacy.
The ARC is a place where people can come if they need addiction counselling, help with filling a form, a chat or a cup of tea. What to an observer, may seem like a small problem, can be a very great cause of anxiety to the person who is helped. We intend that the ARC Healthy Living Centre makes a very great difference to the lives of the people who come here. It is better to light a candle than to curse the dark. As local poet Frank Ormsby said;
Look in the dark alcove under the stairs:
a paintbrush steeped in turpentine, it hairs
Softening for use; rat poison in a jar;
bent spoons for prising lids; a spare fire-bar;
The shaft of a broom; a tyre; assorted nails;
a store of candles for when the light fails.
The ARC Healthy Living Centre is our store of candles.
|
