Client Programs

Monkami runs different programs throughout the week. These programs are designed to keep the client fit and also to teach different skills. Some of them are listed below:

Archery

The Archery program is an opportunity for the participants to learn the sport of archery at their own pace, and with it, many associated skills such as balance, concentration and fitness.

The session is facilitated by a nationally accredited coach at the Yarra Valley Archery Park in Launching Place, where participants have the opportunity to learn various forms of archery and to participate in games and competitions which are enjoyable and rewarding.

Aqua-Aerobics

Conducted at the Kilsyth Centenary Pool, all members enjoy a ½ hour session of aqua aerobics run by a Vic Swim qualified fitness/aerobics instructor. Routines are varied each week, with the emphasis on   co-ordination, toning of different muscles, and relaxation techniques. After a hard work out we enjoy swimming laps or relaxing in the spa.

Bowling

The aims and objectives of this program are to introduce the individuals to a new sporting activity and to develop their skills in eye-hand coordination, concentration, gross motor control, team work and having fun.

Bushwalking

The bushwalking groups are exposed to various ecological experiences. The sun, sand, bush and water are all part of the great outdoors that makes up our cultural heritage. Our bushwalking group like to enthusiastically pursue not only these diverse natural landscapes, but the fauna and flora that go hand in hand with the surrounding environment.

Client Advocacy

This program assists in enhancing individual’s self esteem, self confidence, self help, self management and leadership roles. The advocacy group plans and organizes Monkami social events, eg. Christmas break up party, sausage sizzles, theme days. The Advocacy group meets each Friday in a formal business meeting, where minutes are read and taken, attendances noted, reports received and general and new business dealt with. This information is then taken back to the core group meetings where the advocate for each group provides feedback from the client advocacy, keeping everyone at Monkami informed about issues and events taking place here.

Client Committee

Client Committee is a fun, social group who help with decision-making and plan various events all year round for Monkami.

They also learn various advocacy and humanitarian skills, using work sheets in co-ordination with Valid.

 Communication

This program aims to facilitate the use of existing communications.

It is designed to expand communication strategies and provide opportunities for clients to contribute to effective communication whilst at Monkami.

The program teaches and applies sign language and maintain and expend verbal and sign vocabulary.

Auslan Manuals and Communication Assessments are used as Resources/Equipment.

Community Skills

Throughout the year we get to visit local community facilities:

Police Station, Ambulance Service, Fire Station, Council Offices.

While creating a greater understanding of these places, we develop travel training skills, basic money handling and practice socially acceptable behaviours through role play.

Cooking

Our main aims are to be able to choose a healthy meal, shop independently, use all appliances correctly and safely in the kitchen, prepare a simple meal, clean up all the dirty dishes and maintain and improve table manners. Of course, eating what we’ve made is the best part!

Cottage Craft

We introduce individuals to a variety of activities which will increase their artistic repertoire and enable them to refine their techniques. Some of our craft items are sold in the Monkami Shop, or used as gifts for family, friends or for special occasions and events.

Cottage Industry

This program develops food preparation skills in a group environment. We create preserves such as jams, marmalades, pickles, sauces and chutneys. We then package these products attractively for sale in our Monkami Shop.

Craft

The main objective for individuals in this program is to make something that expresses their own abilities, talents, likes and interests. Improving and mastering fine motor skills, expanding concentration time and learning to work independently are all positive outcomes encouraged from this process. Some of our craft work gets entered into the Lilydale Show where awards have been won by individual clients.

Croydon Gym

This is a community based program run through the Croydon Leisure Centre, where we have the opportunity to access gymnastic equipment to improve posture, strength and balance. Other activities include racquet ball, volley ball, aerobics, walking, jogging and skipping.

Dance

This is a community based program where clients work with a professional dance instructor. They discover professional dance moves, enjoy couple dancing, and receive enhanced self esteem while participating in physical exercise that is fun.

Discovery

There is a whole world of things to discover. We enjoy using the sensory room and watching National Geographic to learn more about animals and plants. Often we walk through the sensory garden to enjoy atmosphere and share in the fruits of our work.

Exercise

When the weather permits it is a great opportunity to take a walk in the local community. Otherwise we use the exercise mats to do some gentle stretching and aerobic workouts or take advantage of the gym equipment.

Fabulous Eating in Exciting Places (FEEP)

Fabulous Eating in Exciting places. This is a full day program where each week the group discusses, then decide where to eat. Will it be a picnic, BBQ or venue? We then discover the experience of different foods, aromas, tastes and textures and have fun!

Global Village

Here we discover what it is like in other countries. Climate, language, communities, culture, native flora and fauna are all explored as we traverse the globe. We develop a book about what we have learned and especially enjoy tasting the various foods that are popular around the world.

Golf

This program offers the clients a chance to learn a new leisure activity and the associated skills. The program alternates weekly between the driving range and out on the golf course. Each of the clients has a set of clubs according to their individual requirements, which they are responsible for maintaining. The program has become such a success that there is an annual golf day event where up to 40 clients and staff spend the day out on the course.

Grooming

Aims to promote a sense of self esteem fostered through education and practical experience in self care tasks. Topics covered throughout the year include hand and fingernails, foot care, clothing and dressing, showering and bathing, hair, make-up, teeth and mouth care, facials and pampering.

Home Skills

This is about learning the basics of living independently. Being safe at home and knowing what to do in an emergency, knowing how to make my own snack and drinks, cleaning up afterwards, or sewing on a button that has come off my clothes.

Horticulture

This group grows and maintains the Christmas Tree Plantation, which provides the nursery with freshly cut produce in December. In their spare time they help to maintain the grounds and participate in special activities such as building the sensory garden and installing the new water tanks.

Independent Living Skills

Independent Living Skills is an all day program and covers such a vast area of personal skills and development opportunities, with individual achievements in a team based learning style. It covers domestic skills, ie. cooking, cleaning, washing, menu planning, while incorporating community skills ie. using public transport, shopping, banking and eating out.

Indoor Activities

Indoor Activities is a fun, flexible and interactive program that combines music (Abba, Beach Boys, Kylie Minogue) with simple fitness and sports activities.

This is a fun and lightweight program designed to be fun while doing different activities.

Internet Computer

Provides an opportunity for clients to enhance their literacy skills, keep in touch with family and friends through e-mail, and surf the net about their favourite subjects.

In-house Gym

Monday Gym program utilises equipment such as treadmill, exercise bikes, stepping machine and fit balls to engage in regular exericse 1:1 with staff. Each clients’ specific need and preference is catered for to both improve and maintain fitness.

Leisure Options

This is an all day community access program. There is a diverse range of personal development opportunities to explore within this program, while experiencing a variety of exciting new places to visit. Individuals are encouraged to participate in choosing places they would like to go; ie Museums, restaurants, theatre, venues, parks which endeavour to expand our horizons and world view.

Magazine

A dynamic and stimulating program where participants work on areas of interest to produce the magazine known as “Monkami Mayhem”. The program develops discussion, debating and listening skills, enhances reading and writing, keyboard and computer skills, visual communication, drawing, photography, layout etc. in a team environment with personal satisfaction and achievements.

Massage

The types of massage offered vary to the needs of each individual person and include head, foot, neck, hand and back massage. There is quiet, calming music played during the session with a relaxing essence filling the air.

Men’s Interest Group

The Men’s Interest Group enjoy giving back to the community by maintaining one of Croydon’s local parks. They also develop personal hygiene and self care options, go on recreational outings and improve their home maintenance skills.

Monkami Jam

Monkami Jam is a fun, energetic music program run by two musicians at Monkami.

The clients will get an opportunity to sing, play instruments and request songs that cover a range of musical styles.

Monkami Army

Linking with the Community

The Monkami Army consists of clients who are active as volunteers in their own local community. Monkami clients are valued members of their own community who can contribute in a meaningful way. We have linked with the Maroondah Police Seniors Register and are visiting socially isolated older people that can use a hand with small basic tasks and some gardening.

The Monkami Army participants have an increase in confidence, self worth and community awareness, and develop new friendships and skills and the local area receives volunteer support delivered with the genuine enthusiasm of our clients wearing their Monkami Army Uniforms.

These activities also improves the community’s perceptions of disability and communicates to all people in the wider community that everyone can volunteer in some small way to help others, thus promoting the positive aspects of volunteering.

Music & Dance

There is a combination of listening and participation taking place during this program. It gives everyone the opportunity to select their own music style and everyone is encouraged to dance and move around freely with others. We have a lot of fun using a combination of musical instruments such as tambourines, maracas, drums, guitars and whistles.

My Sense, My Day

Cooking, bus drives, painting/drawing, sensory garden.

The purpose of this program is to allow people to explore their immediate environment at a leisurely pace and in a much more intense way than a daily routine would allow.

Numeracy & Literacy   

Clients gain specific skills based around all aspects of numbers and written language and how to apply these in day to day activities.

Nursery

Monkami operates a fully functional nursery. It provides an opportunity for clients to learn pre – vocational and social skills while working in an environment where they can interact with the general community and also develop skills appropriate to a retail nursery.

The programs aims are:

- Skill development and maintenance

- Create positive work ethics and a sense of personal pride.

- To develop initiative and responsibility.

- To learn social skills.

- To work as a team.

- To produce quality merchandise for sale.

- To learn some horticultural skills.

- To provide good customer service.

Office Skills

This is both an internal and community based program where our clients attend a community house and learn formal aspects of office skills. They then put these principles into practical applications back at the Centre. Some of these roles include answering the phone, taking messages, telephone manner, writing program receipts, photocopying and faxing, compiling documents and distributing messages and mail.

 Pamper Me 

In this program we promote different important aspects of the body and health. We learn why personal hygiene is so important, nutritional information, basic grooming techniques for hair, hands, nails and more. Sometimes we even head off to the hairdressers!

Parks & Picnics

A popular program that heads off once a week to explore areas around Melbourne.

Paper Shredding

One of our pre-vocational programs to improve work skills includes safety procedures, use of machinery, shredder and baler, recycling of paper and cardboard, customer service, paper pick-ups and deliveries, shredding of paper for sale into 25 kg bales and the shredding of confidential files.

Photography/Media

A program that explores the world through the lens. This group takes photos for use by their group or go on “photographic assignments” for the centre.

Fun, creative and very interactive.

Plantation

Monkami has 2.5 acres of land that this group maintains. There are pinus radiata planted directly into the ground that will be shaped and grown as cut Christmas trees. These trees are then harvested and sold directly from our nursery.

Production

We do contract work for companies in and around the local areas of the eastern suburbs and beyond. Monkami and its workforce set a high standard for all contract work completed. Each new contract develops a new skill set for the clients, there is always something for everyone and you get a small incentive.

Sensory Room

The Sensory room is a special place at Monkami to relax and enjoy gentle sensory stimulation through what you can see, hear, touch and smell. The room is currently themed as an outer space experience, but changes regularly to develop new sensory experiences.

Tennis

This is a great recreational program that accesses the local community tennis courts. The program helps to improve individual physical fitness, running around the court, while enhancing skills such as hand-eye coordination.

Third Age

This is a program designed around the needs of our older persons at the centre. We have attempted to create an environment that is homely and free from the daily demands and noise of the pre-vocational training areas. One of the main concepts is to gain an understanding and acceptance of the word “retirement”. We aim to maintain pre-existing skills in a relaxed environment that is age appropriate to the group and encourages gradual development of suitable retirement life skills.

Walking

This is a great way to get out and about in the local community. It improves health and fitness and practices road safety skills while enjoying the surrounding environment.

Woodwork

There is a good range of assorted hand and power tools in this program for our clients to develop the various skills needed when using them. The woodwork group tends to everyday maintenance around the centre. It assists other programs too, like building display tables for the nursery and frames to display artwork/paintings. Sometimes they will work on building something for themselves. Birdfeeders, possum boxes, wine racks and toys sell well in the Monkami Shop.