|
|
|
From February 2022 to January 2023 we piloted the ‘Being Me’ clubs. Thanks to one-off funding from Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire NHS Integrated Care Board, we ran two clubs in our home of South Gloucestershire. One group was for 10-14 year olds and the other for 11-16 year olds. Participants did not need a formal autism diagnosis to attend the clubs. The clubs were run by a mixture of autistic and neurotypical adult facilitators and volunteers. Our facilitators are professional artists whose practices include writing, music, theatre and circus. |
|
The Being Me clubs are spaces where autistic girls and non-binary young people can feel accepted and celebrated for being their authentic selves. We provided optional creative activities that helped them communicate more about their experiences and a low pressure environment where they could just ‘be’ alongside other neurodivergent young people.
Feedback shows that the Being Me clubs were successful in:
|
|
|
"She doesn't rave about any other clubs"
“This place has been everything for J. It’s the only place that she feels she can be herself.”
“A loves coming here, it’s all she talks about.”
- Parent feedback
|
What next?We are currently fundraising to re-start the Being Me clubs from September this year. Our participants and their families are helping us to achieve this - by talking to their work places, who may have community champion schemes, by making donations and by setting up their pwn fund-raising activities. There are a myriad of ways you can be involved. Check out our fundraising pack on the left to find out more.
| ||