Dream Candy - it is sweet stuff for the mind, according to the founders of a popular recreation program located above the Stellarton library on Foord Street.
Deelle Hines and Camilla MacDonald are celebrating four years in operation, having conceived their program during a brainstorming session across the street at King of Cups coffee shop. Longtime friends, they had an idea to try to fill what they perceived as a need in the community.
“We had some ideas of what we wanted to do but we didn’t have a structure in mind. We certainly never imagined starting a non-profit from the ground up,” said Hines.
What they wanted was a program that would foster kindness, confidence, co-operation, resilience and self-care among other things.
“We wanted something to inspire youth to dream big and create lives filled with passion and purpose,” she added.
When they could not come up with a name each drew up a list of words they associated with their effort.
“From there we settled on Dream Candy because it seemed to cover the essence of what we wanted to create,” said Hines.
With a background in business, personal training and life coaching, Hines leans toward the management side while MacDonald, whose background is in human services and early childhood education, is in charge of programming. It is an indistinct line, though, with each contributing as needed.
They have a range of offerings including a preschool program, an after school program, a women’s program and programs for elementary and teen students as well as a special events, but it all began with a six-week program to build caring and confidence.
“We announced the six-week program and waited to see what would happen. Almost immediately, it was obvious to us people were hungry for something like this,” said MacDonald.
One of the concepts fostered at Dream Candy is practicing gratitude.
“We may guide the discussion but children come up with the things they appreciate in their own lives and it is amazing to see how their attitudes change as they take time to reflect,” said MacDonald.
Practicing gratitude can often turn a bad day into a good day, she added.
“A child may feel he has had an awful, terrible day because he stubbed his toe and lost his lunch money. If he can stop for a moment to think about the good things that also happened, it might be enough to shift the balance away from the negative. If the child can focus on the good things at the end of the day, then that is resilience,” she said, adding resilience becomes invaluable as life’s challenges mount up.
Hines added it is repeated exposure that brings change.
“We practice many of the same things over and over because we know that is where strength comes from. We encourage children to share and not be greedy, to be kind and not hurtful, to be helpful. We do it over and over again.”
She pointed out her parents’ generation could not prepare their children for the rapid advances in computer technology.
“Now change comes faster and faster and we cannot predict what skills people will need but by fostering kindness, consideration and cooperation in our young people, we’re giving them the strength to navigate their way.”
Meditation is another of Dream Candy’s practices. It is introduced in various ways and shaped to meet the needs of children and teens. Young children, for example, may be asked to pay attention to their breathing, something they can do more easily by lying down with a small stuffed toy on their chests.
“We are showing them the importance of mindfulness. We’ll show them what relaxed breathing looks and feels like. Then we might play a game where they have to blow paper caterpillars across the floor. We might also ask them to consider how their breathing changes when they are angry,” said MacDoanld.
For teens a two-hour program examines many of the same concepts, but it is more tied to their personal experiences.
“It can be a big thing for a new teen to join our drop-in group. I‘ve seen teens come through the door displaying all kinds of anxiety and defense mechanisms but gradually they learn this is Dream Candy Land, a safe place where we want you to explore your feelings and creative expression,” said MacDonald.
Hines, who once represented Nova Scotia in track and field, practices visualization and MacDonald uses Hines’ experience in her programming.
“Deele’s experience using visualization in competitive sports is so relatable to the kids. They’re just fascinated and really eager to see if it can work for them.”
Dream Candy has links with the Schools Plus Program and some of the mental health services in the community.
“Programs and agencies will send kids our way. It is important work working with youth,” said Hines.
The after school care program falls under Dream Candy’s social enterprise arm.
“Most of our programs are no charge or by donation but we can also offer programs that cover some of our operating costs and that’s where the after school program fits,” said Hines.
Another example of a social enterprise program was Dream Candy’s initiative to print inspirational slogans in the washrooms of various area schools.
“It began as a small project but it proved very popular and we think it has been beneficial. If you are having a bad day at school the bathroom is where you are most likely to head. If you can read something that inspires you or picks you up a bit, that’s a good thing,” said Hines.
With four years behind them, Hines and MacDonald are taking a little time to reflect.
“We’ve met a lot of supportive people starting out. When we were looking for space, we went to The Town of Stellarton and that worked out really well for us,” said Hines.
Not only was the town able to provide space but former recreation and community development director Paul Corbin showed the group how they could fit under the province’s recreation umbrella, she noted.
“He pointed out recreation is about mind, body and spirit, exactly what we are about.”
Perhaps most gratifying for Hines and MacDonald has been hearing children and teens incorporate Dream Candy into their language.
“They’ll point to a behaviour or an instance and say that wasn’t very Dream Candy. We could never have anticipated that but we love it,” said Hines.
Rosalie MacEachern is a Stellarton resident and freelance writer. She seeks out people who work behind the scenes on hobbies or jobs that they love the most. If you know someone you think she should profile in an upcoming article, she can be reached at [email protected]
