The Course

 Creative Connections courses aim to inspire creativity and personal development. They enable this through making links between arts, sciences, nature and culture in the context of outdoor experiences.

For teachers, it's Curriculum for Excellence in Action.

For writers, artists and others, it's simply inspirational.

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Eigg is an ideal environment to explore making creative connections between and through different disciplines.

The aims of the course are to:

• Give inspiration and ideas from sharing walks, workshops and other activities with people from a wide variety of backgrounds
• Provide the opportunity for personal reflection and skill development in a beautiful setting, clarifying ideas about the nature and purpose of learning and teaching
• Encourage wider social and professional connections across disciplines
• Discover creative and innovative approaches to recording a learner’s journey both for personal and professional use

Creative beginings 

Originally based on a boat that voyaged through the Inner Hebrides, Creative Connections learning journeys have been land based since 2006. Courses have been held on Canna, Colonsay and Eigg, with Eigg the most frequent venue.

Eigg provides a remarkable mix of environments, people, history, story and possible experiences for course participants to enjoy. The island itself is a natural enhancement to the professional and personal learning journeys you will undertake.

The course helped participants to discover a variety of methods by which to record their experiences and learning through the week. Poetry, artwork, songs, stories and journal making were all part of this, giving relevance and appeal to artists and writers as well as educators.

For teachers, as we've said: The Course is Curriculum for Excellence in Action

It allows you to reflect on yourself as a learner. In that way, you can explore how meaningful learning can be expressed and recorded.

• Participants are immersed in the natural world in an island environment with few distractions
• The focus is on experiential learning
• The variety of workshops and experiences in different locations is a key part of the week
• So too is the capacity to read, think and choose how to spend time at the Glebe Barn or wherever you choose (The Eigg Tea Room can offer a pleasing slice of island cafe culture)
• There are professional discussions based on current articles and thinking, plus other educational and environmental resources to help stimulate ideas
• The emphasis is on process, not product

Each course is not set in stone, but is a menu of possibilities

In this way, each participant can make the course unique, building on prior knowledge and adding fresh experience.