Leisure learning courses are fun, no-credit courses that provide an opportunity to learn a new skill such as how to cook or how to speak French.
“There’s no tests or marks, and ideally no pressure.” Says Allison Howells director of leisure leaning Fredericton.
“The fees are so much lower than credit courses and they’re open to everyone” says Howells.
Lori Quick, director of the art center, says “We try to make creating as accessible as possible, that’s our whole thing. We know money is tight, we know time is tight, workshops are short and we try to make them cheap. We try to make it so people get the enjoyment of creating.”
Leisure learning gives students and community members the chance to create their own work that can bring them satisfaction and a sense of pride.
Quick passionately explains the benefits of leisure learning courses, “You learn a skill and you leave with a finished product. You feel confident you see something you actually made that you can do it again and again and again.” Quick adds, “When you walk out of a place and you have something you can tangibly hold, you can give it away to someone, you know, it’s so confidence building.”
The Fredericton community has access to workshops in numerous categories like Arts & Culture, Health & Wellness, Languages, Food & Drink, etc. Workshops can be as short as half a day to a 10-week course (Prices vary).
“We offer over 70 courses. People take them because they want to; they’re enjoyable” says Howell.
With the vast amount of leisure learning course there’s an opportunity for anyone to get creative. Quick says, “A lot of people will come up to me and they’ll say well I’m just not creative. But, creativity isn’t being creative so much as just doing something creative. There’s a step by step process that you go abcd just like a manual. You are doing something and the outcome is creative. You discover there is that creative spark inside me. It just needs to be unlocked. It’s everywhere if you just open yourself up to it
“I want more people to know about it because it is enjoyable. Enrich, Engage, Enjoy.”
For more information regarding dates, available courses, and prices visit the leisure learning website at https://www.unb.ca/cel/enrichment/leisure-learning/fredericton/index.html
