In this program, participants explore their emotions and how to communicate through the lens of theatre. They play improv games, read scenes from plays, and study famous theatrical works. Through this program, participants can expect to improve social skills, emotional intelligence, improvisation or thinking on their feet, creative thinking, and being a team player – all while acting out in a good way.

AMASE Choir is run by graduate music education students at Northwestern University and takes place on the university campus. (AMASE stands for Academy of Music and Arts for Special Education) The participants and volunteers from Northwestern experience what it’s like to be in a choir, as they practice and perform in a group, sing solos and duets, and prepare for a public concert to showcase what they have learned. They also build social connections with peers in college.

Participants become animators as they learn how to sketch images from popular movies, shows and cartoons. Following a step-by-step process, the participants draw characters, food, animals, and more. The final sketches are shared with the group at the end of each program. Participants can expect to express their creativity, learn to follow step by step instructions and give positive feedback to peers unprompted.

Armchair Travel is a multi-sensory, educational program designed to simulate international travel from the comfort of Our Place. Participants visit some of the world's best museums, wildlife parks, and tourist attractions, and explore the culture, customs and foods of the places they visit. As with any trip, they will send postcards, keep a travel journal and share their experiences with friends. Participants can expect to improve their understanding of the world, expand their expressive abilities through writing and speaking and learn to incorporate what they’ve seen into their daily lives. As they sample foods from around the world, they may also broaden their tastes and learn to try new foods.

Research shows that artmaking can benefit mental health. In this program, participants explore and discuss various aspects of mental wellness while doing thoughtful art projects. Participants can expect to experiment with painting, illustration, art journaling, and various other art techniques while they find ways to reduce stress and build inner strength.

Book Club is a literacy program that fosters enjoyment and appreciation for literature. The participants listen to and discuss novels, short stories and poems that they select as a group. Participants can expect to expand their reading experiences, explore theme, characters, and plot and become adept at expressing their views and listening to others.

Participants will expand the ways they express their creativity through digital cameras, graphic design, digital drawing with Google drawing, and photocopiers. They will explore new subject matter, multi-media presentations, and ways to display and illustrate their creative writing. We will also create “zines” which are self-published unique works of specialized interest, usually reproduced via photocopier. Participants can expect to find new ways to express their ideas through art, writing, drawing, photography and printing.

HeARTwords is a creative expression program that encourages participants to improve their thinking and communication skills. Thought-provoking prompts challenge participants to develop and support their ideas using writing as a tool for expression. Even participants who cannot read or write can join in with support from coaches. Within the safety of the small group setting, participants share and discuss their writing. Participants can expect to improve their abstract thinking abilities, communications skills and confidence in sharing their writing.

An elf escapes through a cave? Imagine That! A bus turns into a rocket ship? Imagine That! A princess rides a motorcycle? Imagine That! You can imagine all this and more in Imagine That! Get your inspiration from a picture and work together with friends to create a one-of-a-kind story. Then, bring it to life as you act it out! Just bring your creativity and a positive attitude and you can begin to Imagine That! Participants can expect to expand their abstract thinking skills, ability to collaborate and self-confidence in performing for others.

Music and Movement is a program that allows participants to explore the world of musical theater and dance. Each week participants focus on one musical, movie, or show as they use dancing and acting to choreograph dance routines for the chosen musical numbers. Participants can expect to build confidence and creativity through expressive dance and acting as well as teamwork and performance skills.

Participants listen to a wide variety of the work of famous musicians past and present and learn about each artist’s contributions to the world of music. They then discuss the impact of the music on themselves as individuals and on the world.

Our Place Press is a writing program focused on creating a monthly newsletter that is shared with our whole community. Participants write articles, poems, movie and restaurant reviews, and human interest stories based on their experiences. Readers hear participants speak in their own voice and get a window into their world. Participants can expect to improve their writing skills, expand their areas of interest and explore new ideas as they come up with stories to report.

The Our Place Photography program allows participants to express themselves through the lens of a camera. Using digital and instant cameras, participants explore photography styles, techniques, composition, focus, and light. When the weather is good, they are outside so get opportunities to connect with the community. Participants can expect to learn how to take better photos, share their photographs with friends and improve their ability to focus.

Participants choose a book they’d like to explore and then listen to Gary read aloud with different voices for the characters. Participants can sit back, relax and listen before joining a general discussion at the end of the hour. Participants can expect to experience the joy of good literature while improving their ability to visualize a story, follow the plot and learn about characters while sharing their thoughts.

Participants learn many aspects of art, including color theory, positive/negative space, color harmonies, design principles, and compositional rules. This program is project based, and we will begin by painting four exterior wood benches, representing the four seasons. Participants will begin by drawing their ideas on worksheets for each season, choosing subjects to represent each season. These ideas will become a group concept to produce the four seasonal bench designs that the participants will then paint. These will become functional art on the Our Place grounds. Participants can expect to learn all aspects of art theory and apply this to group projects and individual works of art.

The Writer's Workshop is a creative writing program focused on expression through journaling. Participants write and draw in their journals using prompts that focus on current events, special interests, and famous quotes. The prompts incorporate values so that participants can reflect on and discuss their values. Participants can expect to improve their self-reflection, expressive abilities, creativity and group participation.