Community Outreach Program (COP)

Epic's Community Outreach Program is now in its 4th year, and builds links with the local community whilst raising awareness of the rights and abilities of disabled people.

In 2008, the COP Outreach team went into the schools of 21 villages in the local area and ran inclusive arts workshops taught by young artists with disabilities. These workshops included teaching the traditional art of shadow puppetry, and the children all learnt how to make their own puppets!

Throughout 2009, the COP team have been out and met 400 local people with disabilities, to identify their needs and learn more about their lives in order to plan the future development of the program.

Between December 2009 and March 2010 the team will be visiting 21 villages in the local area, running two day workshops about disability awareness that will include a show-stopping performance from the Vocational Training Program students.

As with all of Epic's work, this is a long-term program and planning for the next round of workshops is already underway. Between November 2009 and January 2010, Epic is hosting Purple Fields Productions who are in Cambodia making a documentary highlighting the abilities of three local disabled people. This film will be shown during the 2010-2011 COP workshops, and we are all really enjoying having Purple Fields in the Epic family.