PEER-LEAD INTEREST CIRCLES
Find A New Hobby, or Learn A New Skill
Find A New Hobby, or Learn A New Skill
Interest Circles are small, peer-driven groups where members come together around a shared topic, hobby, learning goal, or life focus — all through online platforms like WhatsApp and Meet (Google Meet). These groups are a space for deeper, interest-based connection and exploration, supported by people with lived experience.
Interest Circles help you build confidence, learn new skills, explore passions, and connect with others who get it. They're part of our wider peer support community services at OOKP Support, helping you thrive emotionally, socially, and practically after surgery.
Interest Circles are informal small groups centred around a theme — such as technology, creative expression, employment goals, wellbeing, or awareness building. They offer:
Shared learning and discussion with peers who have similar interests
Encouragement and curiosity in a supportive environment
Idea exchange and mutual inspiration
A chance to explore new possibilities together
Our groups aren’t clinical classes — they're lived-experience based communityspaces, where members learn from one another and build deeper life skills, enabling them to achieve more.
To enable us to reach as many members as possible, who are often spread across a large geographical area, living in different towns, cities and counties, our interest Circles meet online, using the following platforms:
WhatsApp messaging groups, generally used for verbal discussions and resource sharing
Meet (Google Meet) video sessions, often preferred for live conversations, workshops, and interactive discussions
We encourage you to join one or more circles based on your interests and availability. Our meetings are scheduled regularly and facilitated in a friendly, respectful way.
To give you an idea of what we have available, here are some of the circles currently being attended, or planned for the near future — and we're always searching for new ideas you might be interested in creating:
Here, we explore assistive technology, digital tools, and accessible tech that can make daily life with vision changes easier. From smartphone accessibility features to practical apps and digital organisation tools. Groups like our Technology Exchange Clubs help members share what works for them and obtain new skills they can take into other areas of their life.
Interest circles of this kind, provide a space to build awareness, confidence, and self-advocacy. Members explore topics such as public interaction confidence, self-presentation strategies, and awareness building in others — helping build personal strength and comfort in social situations. We also offer a business opportunity for members to teach blind awareness training to front-line staff, for example, teachers, librarians, council reception staff etc.
A circle focused on work, training, and business ideas — from preparing for employment, discussing accessible job strategies, to brainstorming self-employment and independent work possibilities. Members can share job-search tips, confidence stories, and creative ideas inspired by blind and visually impaired entrepreneurs (for example, stories of visually impaired business founders).
In this circle, we talk about creative hobbies such as storytelling, poetry, music, or arts — and use them as tools for emotional expression, wellbeing, and community building. Similar peer groups elsewhere focus on wellbeing through shared creative activity.
We always try to encourage curiosity and continuous learning! This could include book discussions, lifelong learning ideas, accessible learning tools, and shared education resources. Whether it’s courses, podcasts, or learning new skills, this circle supports growth and motivation.
This interest group focuses on emotional health, stress management, coping strategies, and resilience building — alongside peer discussions about mental wellbeing and sharing supportive practices that help members thrive after surgery and through life’s challenges.
Remember, this support service has been created for YOU, therefore, your interests matter — and if there’s a topic you’d love to explore with others, we want to hear it, so we can try organising an interest group which allows you to learn and develop in life!
From the feedback we've received regarding these peer interest circles, some popular themes we are considering for becoming new circles include:
Accessible cooking and kitchen skills
Outdoor activities and gentle exercise
Book and media discussion groups
Parent/caregiver skills
Mindfulness and stress-reduction discussions
These are fantastic suggestions and ones we feel would be achievable and useful to many of our members. If you have any further suggestions, please tell us your idea and give a little background of what discussions could be included and how the interest circle could move forward — and we’ll help organise it.
As always, we try to make using our services as simple as possible. To ensure you join the most appropriate circle, please complete the registration form below, then either include it in the body of the text, or as an attachment, then email to us, using the address below:
📧 Email: ourookpservice@gmail.com
Subject Line: Interest Circl
We’ll try to reply within 2–3 working days with joining details and links.
Interest Circles are about connection, learning, and mutual support. They allow you to build skills, explore new ideas, and enjoy discussions with people who understand your experience — all through peer-led conversation and shared curiosity.
💙 Together, we grow — one interest, one conversation, and one connection at a time.
📩 Please complete this short form, then email it to us, to join one or more Peer-Led Interest Circles.
Full Name:
Preferred Email:
Phone Number (optional):
(Tick all that apply)
☐ Technology & Accessibility Circle
☐ Blind Awareness & Confidence Circle
☐ Employment & Self-Employment Skills Circle
☐ Creative & Well-Being Circle
☐ Lifelong Learning & Growth Circle
☐ Wellbeing & Resilience Circle
☐ Other (please describe):
☐ WhatsApp Messaging Group
☐ Meet (Google Meet) Video Sessions
☐ No Preference
(e.g., weekday mornings, weekday evenings, weekends)
(For example: learning skills, sharing experiences, exploring ideas, meeting new people)
(Optional—e.g., particular tech tools, job search support, creative ideas, wellbeing methods)
(For example: help joining WhatsApp/Meet, captions, device support)
(Optional)
💛 Your interests, ideas, and experiences help make our circles richer and more supportive — thank you for sharing them with us!