Free Social Prescribing Festival at Fort Amherst
On Saturday, 27 August, Sticks and Stones Festival will take place at Fort Amherst in Chatham. It is a festival of wellbeing for Medway residents that will have activities and workshops for all ages to take part in. There will also be live music and entertainment throughout the day, plus food and beverages. The festival provides access to lots of different Medway services, all in one place. Activities include:
🎨Creative arts
🧗♂️Climbing
🥊Boxing
🎹Musical instruments
The event will take place between 11am and 5pm. See the poster for more information or email info@theparamountfoundation.org.
In February 2022, Inspire Academy were delighted to be able to open their new provision called The Meadows.
"This provision is able to cater for pupils aged 11-16 who have been diagnosed with anxiety disorders, ASD or any other special educational need that may make it difficult to be in the classes within our main school. In The Meadows, our pupils follow an academic program which is similar to that of the main school but the class is small, well-staffed and has a small outside area and a sensory area. The pupils have settled in really well and they particularly enjoy their gardening and food tech lessons!
The Meadows is a calm place to be where children are provided with a nurturing approach so that they can build confidence, make secure friendships and thrive both socially and academically." - The Meadows, Inspire Academy
"Wednesday Squad is a club for young people aged 16-25 who have additional needs. It runs every Wednesday at Parkwood Youth Centre from 6:30 to 8:30pm. It provides the young people who attend a valuable opportunity to develop some social skills, make friends and learn some life skills along the way. We regularly have visitors who can assist the young people in looking for outside opportunities including further training and employment. The group are very accepting of each other and their varied needs.
We have recently had a trip to SOAR trampoline park which the young people thoroughly enjoyed."
For further information, please call Angela Cox on 07956656815.
Rachel and Luke playing table football at Wednesday Squad
On Friday, 1 July we launched our young people’s page which is managed by young people, and monitored by a responsible adult as well as the Forum. Hannah is trained in safeguarding and has been in regular contact with young people in her role outside of the Forum. We want this page to be a safe environment where young people can:
- talk to others about their concerns
- ask questions about education or health settings
- discuss how to cope with exam pressures
- ask health queries
We will have speakers come and talk to our young people to gather direct feedback from them. It will also be a chance to meet others and share experiences. This is the logo for the group which was designed by our young people.
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Recieve a payment of up to £150 if your organisation holds focus groups for Involving Medway
Involving Medway is a partnership between community organisations and NHS Kent & Medway’s Clinical Commissioning Group aimed at building healthier communities. The program encourages and supports participation in community groups and activities, helping to beat social isolation and improve the community’s mental health and wellbeing overall.
The program is designed to support existing community organisations to upskill their team and provide a 'voice' that can be heard for their service users. The even better news is that VCS organisations, groups or clubs that carry out these Focus Groups can receive a payment of between £100 and £150, depending on the number of participants.
If this is something you would like to get involved with then please register your interest for more information via email to involvingmedway@mva.org.uk or give us a call on 01634 812 850 and ask for Lisa.
Tap the button below to watch a short video about how the programme works.
PBS+ Awareness Courses
We have new dates for a series of fully funded Positive Behaviour Support Awareness+ training courses running until next year. These courses are available for those who provide direct support to children and young people (aged 0-25) with or without additional needs displaying behaviours that challenge in Kent or Medway. See flyer for more details or to book a course email mcsc@medway.gov.uk.
Upcoming training dates:
11 & 12 August 2022 16 & 20 January 2023 9 & 14 March 2023
16 & 19 August 2022 25 & 27 January 2023 20 & 24 March 2023
14 & 15 November 2022 10 & 13 February 2023
 Young Person's Disability Group
If you know a young person aged 13-25 that has a disability or special educational need and wants make a difference in their community, then they can join the Young Person’s Disability Group. We have two groups, one for age 13-18 and the other for age 18-25. The group is an opportunity to meet other young people and have their say on Medway services including, health, social care, and education.
Each young person will receive £20 for each meeting they attend. This is a great opportunity that can be used for work experience.
If you are a young person looking to join the group or would like to recommend a young person for the group. Please contact Deborah Omijie on 01634 337385 or deborah.omijie@medway.gov.uk for more information.
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