The City Campus Library will be closed from 4pm this Thursday 28th of March and will reopen at 8am Wednesday 3rd of April.
Please note that the POD will also be closed during this time, along with all of Ara City Campus due to a power outage across the Campus this long weekend.
Manawa Library will be unattended from 4pm Thursday 28th of March until Monday 8.30am 8th April due to the Easter break and staff shortage.
Timaru Library will be closed for the Easter break.
We hope you have an enjoyable long weekend and look forward to seeing you soon.
Christchurch Pride is well underway – you might have caught the Rainbow Wrap-Up in the City Campus Student Lounge, and there are still more Ara events to come!
In the Library we’re celebrating with craft:
Badge Making for Trans Day of Visibility and Pride
We’ll have a crafting station set up for you to make your own pronoun badge, flag badge, or rainbow badge of your dreams. Join LGBTQIA+ folks and allies from across Ara for some chilled crafting, and badge to take away in the mix. Everyone welcome.
Wednesday 27th March, 12pm-1pm City Campus Library AND Timaru Campus Library
And the Paxus house team are welcoming our community for a Rainbow friendly day:
Paxus House Pride Day
Get your Pride vibe on with free hair and beauty treatments for the Rainbow community, provided by Ara’s trainee barbers, stylists and beauty therapists at our central city salon!
Thursday 28 March, 10am-3pm
Paxus House, 144 High Street, Ōtautahi
(due to roadworks, please use Tuam Street entrance)
At Ara there are 476 leaners who identify as having a Specific Learning Disability. People with SLD may struggle with listening, thinking, speaking, reading, hand-writing, written language, spelling and/or maths. Dyslexia is the most commonly known SLD but there are others that significantly interfere with a person’s capacity to learn such as dyspraxia, dyscalculia and dysgraphia.
Contributed by Rose Edgar, Senior Disability Advisor
What is neurodiversity you ask? Well, it is recognising that some brains work differently than others.
Neurodiversity is a broad term used to describe different thinking styles such as dyslexia, dyspraxia, ADHD and Autism. Around 15-20% of people will have a neurological difference or be neurodiverse and that’s just the ones we know about!
However, that does not mean that those who are neurodiverse think the same. Each individual will have their own strengths and weaknesses, although they may be similar to others.
If everyone was the same, the world would be boring right?
Sadly, neurodiversity has been misunderstood or judged for a long time. Those who are neurodiverse have often had negative experiences at school, in study, and in jobs. When the world is designed for one way of thinking, it can be hard when your brain works differently.
So this is why we celebrate neurodiversity, because different brains, bring different ideas and perspectives. Some of the world’s most creative and innovative people are neurodiverse!
Have you used X (twitter) lately, seen Tesla’s driving around or noticed that strange line of lights in the sky? That’s all thanks to neurodiverse entrepreneur Elon Musk. He also happens to be the second richest man in the world! His autistic mind has allowed him to approach problems from different angles, and to create and develop innovative solutions never seen before.
Did you see the Barbie movie? Ken actor Ryan Gosling is neurodiverse, diagnosed with ADHD. Now recognised everywhere, once had no friends and was bullied due to his ADHD.
Neurodiversity can allow people to thrive in jobs where out-of-the-box thinking, problem-solving and thinking on your feet is needed. Think nurses, engineers, architects, midwives, the list goes on.
Chances are you know someone who is neurodiverse, or maybe you are yourself. Let’s celebrate our differences and unique ways of thinking.
A great way to do this is to come to our Neurospicy Party on Friday 22nd March 12pm in the library! Food, fun and goodie bags! See you there!
Here’s a great walking tour you can take using this app which guides you on a tour of the pouwhenua (carved wooden posts) and taonga (artistic treasures) located around the Ara Madras Street campus. Developed by ākonga and kaimahi from the Department of Creative Arts & Digital Information, Te Puna Wānaka, and other areas, it reveals the rich histories and meanings of our on-campus treasures. Scan the relevant QR code for your device below or search for “Nga Taonga Māori o Ara” on your device’s app store.
Rug up Autumn has arrived. I know this, my head is suddenly cold. Don’t think about winter coming, just enjoy autumn. A great thing to do is to visit the Christchurch Botanic Gardens in Hagley Park, in the middle of the city. There you can splosh about in the fallen leaves, hang in the glasshouses or take a free ride on the adorable Peace Train. https://newsline.ccc.govt.nz/news/story/all-aboard-the-peace-train
The Peace Train is free, but only open on Sundays from September to April, between 10am and 1pm.
Ara Library Blog 