Here are the activities conducted by Pieces Together Ltd. to advance mental / social health and prevent or relieve social isolation:
Operating a ‘Community Shed’: Providing a permanent, safe workspace where social connection occurs naturally as a secondary outcome of shared activity (“Health by Stealth”). This includes, running structured workshops: Leading facilitator-guided sessions that scaffold learning and skill acquisition while maintaining participant agency.
Facilitating ‘Shoulder-to-Shoulder’ Interaction: Utilizing a therapeutic model where conversation flows naturally during collaborative tasks, reducing the pressure of direct face-to-face communication. This includes, offering free- building sessions: Hosting unstructured sessions that allow participants to achieve a state of ‘flow’ and intrinsic motivation.
Providing LEGO®-Based Construction Activities: Using the LEGO® System of Building Bricks as a ‘convivial tool’ to make social connection intuitive, accessible, and less intimidating than traditional tool-based workshops. This includes, implementing role-based collaboration: Utilizing structured roles from LEGO-Based Therapy (e.g., ‘Engineer’, ‘Builder’, ‘Parts Supplier’) to train / enhance social competence and necessitate communication up-skilling. (Often used for focused events for members with neurodiverse background).
Conducting ‘Thinkering’ Sessions: Engaging participants in the creation and understanding of concepts through hand manipulation (‘hand knowledge’) to assist in the externalisation of internal conflicts and thoughts. This includes, facilitating positive psychology explorations: Using bricks to tangibly visualise positive CBT concepts such as ‘best possible selves’ or ‘ideal futures’ to foster hope and optimism, delivered according to methods found within LEGO® Serious Play methodologies.
Delivering Public Outreach Events: Hosting open-to-public sessions in community venues (e.g., North Fremantle
Community Centre, Deep Water Pavilion – Mount Pleasant) to engage the broader community and promote awareness.
This includes: organising community events: Planning and holding special events to foster wider connection and engagement beyond regular shed operations. and also;
Educating the Public: Implementing campaigns targeting GP clinics and welfare organisations to raise awareness of isolation (IWA/’Hikikomori’) and the shed’s services.
Community Engagement: common to all activities
- Mentoring and Skill Sharing: Encouraging members to learn new skills and mentor others, fostering a ‘spirit of
mutual aid,’ autonomy, and empowerment. - Supporting Social Prescribing: Providing a non-clinical intervention pathway for health professionals to refer patients
experiencing loneliness, mild depression, or anxiety. - Executing an A-B-C Referral Process: Applying an ‘Ask, Build, Connect’ approach to identify beneficiaries needing
professional care and facilitating warm referrals to external support services.