Gathered Together – Cruinn Comhla: a new series of workshops to help parents from ethnic and cultural minorities who are new to Scotland to understand what happens in Scottish schools and how to get more involved in their children’s learning. The first session is today and it will focus on information about primary schools; how your child is taught in primary school, how you can support your child with homework and how to communicate with teachers and get the best out of parents’ evening. 10.30am-12.30pm, Quaker Meeting House, 7 Victoria Terrace. To book your free place, please email gtevents@bemis.org.uk or call 0141 548 8047. Further sessions will follow on 8th, 22nd and 29th October and 5th and 12th November 2015; you can attend all of them or just the one(s) relevant to your situation. BEMIS is the national umbrella body supporting the development of the Ethnic Minorities Voluntary Sector in Scotland. For more information about the Gathered Together project, click here.
Mothers, Daughters, Fathers, Sons – Memories of Childhood. An inter-generational oral history exhibition focusing on the heritage of Chinese and South Asian older people and their British/Scottish born family members. Through photographs and interviews, this exhibition explores childhood and memories of growing up in different countries, cultures and decades. These wonderful personal histories create ‘conversations’ and foster understanding between generations. 10am-5pm Monday to Saturday, Museum of Edinburgh, Huntly House, 142 Canongate. Organised by MECOPP (Minority Ethnic Carers of People Project) as part of Luminate – Scotland’s creative ageing festival.
Yakety Yak: sparkling Russian/English conversation over tea and cakes. Open to all – no need to book. Just turn up; you will be warmly welcomed by the group. 11am, Summerhall Cafe, Summerhall, 1 Summerhall. No charge apart from any drinks and cakes you choose to purchase.
Mayfield-Salisbury Thursday Club: the new season begins with a visit from a small Musselburgh choir. 2pm, Upper Hall, Mayfield Salisbury Parish Church, 18 West Mayfield. The club meets weekly from October to May, with an attractive programme of music, slides, talks and demonstrations. New members warmly welcomed; annual membership costs £4 and there is a 50p charge for tea at each meeting. For more information please contact Florence Smith on 0131 663 1234.
Cal-Aid Edinburgh Volunteer Social Meeting. All volunteers, potential volunteers and members of other aid organisations are invited to a social meet & greet at Studio 24 this evening. The Cal-Aid lead committee will fully update all involved on current progress in fundraising, how donations are being spent and dispersed, the group’s trips to Calais, and its aims and objectives for moving forward and expanding. Anyone who wishes will have the chance to make suggestions as to how the project could grow; this is a chance to network and for everyone involved to have their say and meet one another in person. All are welcome and the group will take names and details from anyone wishing to volunteer their time, skills and efforts to Cal-Aid. Tea and biscuits will be served! 7.30-10pm, Studio 24, Calton Road. Please also see listings for details of Cal-Aid’s fundraiser, Sanctuary, on Saturday 3rd October at Studio 24.
Live Music Now: Svetlina Stoyonova and Kristina Yorgova. Svetlina (mezzo soprano) and Kristina (piano) are a young duo from Bulgaria, both currently students at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. The programme today will include French and Impressionist music which links with the collection of impressionist and landscape paintings in the permanent collection. 6-6.30pm, Scottish National Gallery, The Mound. Free and unticketed.
Auld Alliance Contemporary Exhibitions (AACE) 2015: nine visual artists are taking part in this two-centred Franco-Scottish show run conjointly at the Institut français and the E.D.S. Gallery. AACE exhibits the works of established French artists alongside works from young up-and-coming Scottish artists; this year the six Scottish artists, Flo Gordon, Jacob Kerray, Lauren Bowman, Matt Sloe, Megan Rea and Ross MacRae, will show their works alongside three successful 1980s graduates from Paris, Hélène Lhote, Margat and Paella Chimicos. 9.30am-6.30pm Monday to Friday, 10am-1pm Saturdays, E.D.S. Gallery, 13a Great King Street and Institut francais d’Ecosse, 13 Randolph Crescent. Ends 31st October 2015.
Get Online: if you are new to the internet, or can’t get to grips with your computing device, help is at hand! Bring your laptop/iPad/tablet along to this free 5-week course. 10.30am-12.30pm today and for the next four Thursdays, Newington Library, Fountainhall Road. Places are free but limited and must be booked by speaking to a member of staff in the library or calling 0131 529 5536.
Out of Sight, Out of Mind: a multi-art exhibition featuring diverse work from artists with experience of mental health issues. This is one of a series of exhibitions taking place across the city as part of SMHAFF – the Scottish Mental Health Arts & Film Festival 2015: the exhibitions aim to get everyone thinking and talking about mental health, raising awareness and challenging preconceptions. 10am-8pm Monday-Wednesday, 10am-5pm Thursday-Saturday, Leith Library, 28-30 Ferry Road. Ends 31st October 2015. Further exhibitions will open later in the month at Space Artworks Gallery, Summerhall and the Edinburgh University Chaplaincy.
Spark Greyfriars Lunchtime Concert: 45 minutes of music-making from George Heriot’s School Chamber Choir. 12 noon, Greyfriars Kirk, Greyfriars Place. Free.
Cameo Big Scream: screenings exclusively for parents/carers and their babies under the age of one year. Today: Irrational Man (12A) – in Woody Allen’s latest film, Joaquin Phoenix plays troubled and famously hellraising philosophy professor Abe Lucas. 
10.30am, Cameo, Home Street. Tickets may be purchased from the Box Office in person, by calling 0871 902 5723 or online here.
Passion In North Edinburgh: an exhibition of rag rugging, art projection, marbling and plenty more, created by members of user-led community mental health project Living Well. Living Well provides a range of group support activities designed to build confidence, unlock creativity and help people learn new ways of dealing with stress; its services are open to anyone aged 18+ living in North Edinburgh with mental health concerns. This exhibition is part of SMHAFF – the Scottish Mental Health Arts & Film Festival 2015. 10am-8pm Tuesday to Friday, 10am-1pm Saturdays, North Edinburgh Arts, 15a Pennywell Court. Ends 29th October 2015.
Reid Memorial Church Thursday Club: a series of interesting talks in a friendly, informal gathering, followed by tea, coffee and chat. Today Eric Melvin looks at The Southside of Edinburgh. 2.30pm, Small Hall, Reid Memorial Church, West Savile Terrace at Blackford Avenue. All welcome! Membership subscription is £5; members then pay 50p per meeting. Non-members pay £1 per meeting.
![Une Semaine de Bonté... où les Sept Élements Capitaux. Roman [A Week of Kindness... or The Seven Capital Elements. Novel], Max Ernst, 1934− © ADAGP, Paris and DACS, London 2010](https://i0.wp.com/www.theedinburghreporter.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/max-ernst.jpg)
Books in Focus: Max Ernst. The Books in Focus series looks at artists’ books held in the special collections of the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art. Today’s session will focus on Max Ernst’s Une Semaine de Bonté. Published in 1934 by Jeanne Bucher in Paris, it was partially financed by Roland Penrose, whose close relationship with Ernst earned him a gift of two of the original collages, also now in the gallery’s collection. 11.30am-12.30pm, Reading Room, Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art TWO, Belford Road. Free but booking is required as places are limited: please call 0131 624 6268 or email gmainfo@nationalgalleries.org.
Passionate About: an impressive series of painted windows exploring the theme passionate about… and inviting passers-by to consider how pursuing our passions can keep us mentally healthy. Augustine United Church, George IV Bridge. Ends 31st October 2015. This exhibition is part of SMHAFF – the Scottish Mental Health Arts & Film Festival 2015.
Nomad Fundraiser Party: Nomad is an annual self-funded travel publication produced by students from the University of Edinburgh and Edinburgh College of Art. Live music from Blue Jester, Jambouree and Sugar, Sugar, prize draws and party fun. 9pm (entry from 8pm), The Jazz Bar, 1a Chambers Street. £5. Please note this venue is strictly cash only.
Luminate Festival: Hip Hop-eration (12A). These New Zealander senior citizens may each be almost a century young, but for Kara (94), Maynie (95) and Terri (93), their visit to Las Vegas and the World Hip Hop Dance Championships is just the beginning of a life’s journey. Along the way we hear how these extraordinary characters contributed to New Zealand as we know it; their stories are a reminder of their history as a nation and the joy of living life to the fullest. Plus short: Directed by Tweedie. 1pm and 6.10pm, Filmhouse, Lothian Road. Tickets may be purchased from the Filmhouse box office in person, by calling 0131 228 2688 or online here; prices vary. Luminate is Scotland’s Creative Ageing Festival and runs 1st-31st October 2015 at venues throughout the country. The full programme is available here.
Arts Cafe: a space for coffee, cake and passionate conversation. Come along to hear crafted stories about using our passions to improve our mental wellbeing. All very welcome. 1.30-3pm, Augustine United Church, George IV Bridge. Free: all very welcome. Part of SMHAFF – the Scottish Mental Health Arts & Film Festival 2015. Also at same times on 8th, 15th, 22nd and 29th October 2015.
The Poetry Circus: Freak Circus. A night of spoken word to celebrate the launch of the Circus’s amazing new literary magazine, Freak Circus, a ‘stunningly-beautiful new book-format literary magazine of cutting-edge writing presented in eye-popping layouts…pitching famous names alongside new voices to bring you a selection that produces goose-bumps and shivers’. 8pm, Dalriada, 77 Promenade, Portobello. Free tickets are available from Portobello Library, 14 Rosefield Avenue. Presented in association with Portobello Book Festival.
Hullabaloo and Make Noise: The 2 Bears. The Make Noise Electronic Recycling Tour arrives in Edinburgh with special guest headliners The 2 Bears. Make Noise programmes cutting edge electronic music events in some of the country’s best clubs and makes entry 100% FREE in exchange for a piece of electrical recycling. Club-goers just need to bring something to hand over at the door: a broken mobile phone, hairdryer or laptop – anything with a plug or a battery! Since it began, Make Noise has packed out clubs and recycled tonnes of electronic waste. Support from Hullabaloo residents Trendy Wendy & Steve Austin plus the Heavenly Jukebox DJs. 11pm-1am, The Bongo Club, 66 Cowgate. The Bongo Club is owned by local arts charity Out of the Blue; ‘putting the sounds of the underground and imaginative aspirations before the mighty dollar and encouraging the community to get involved and use the space to do their own thing’.
