In 2019 one of our generous Donor Advised Funds supported Inishowen Children’s Autism Related Education (iCARE) through a grant of €36,000. This grant went towards a vital project to set up a new adult day service for those who are over 18 and have left school but don’t have somewhere suitable to go on a regular basis. Facilitators were sourced for different activities such as horticulture, education and arts and crafts. Since the inception of the project, a new shop called Crafts & Creations has opened at the centre three days a week and sells produce that the clients have made themselves.
New Opportunities
The project has provided people in Inishowen with autism the opportunity to take part in activities that were not previously available to them. One of the main factors in setting up this initiative was that young people in the region with autism didn’t have mainstream clubs or activities to take part in due to the high levels of supervision required. The activities provided were based on feedback from the clients and included upcycling furniture/household items, music, cookery and drama.
This project has provided clients with a greater sense of purpose by participating and contributing to iCARE. One client is now teaching a Zumba class twice a week and another is helping the centre’s caretaker from which they both earn a small income.
The funding has also supported an after school kids club where children from the centre could integrate with those from mainstream schools. This was a positive experience for all the children involved and it gave children from outside the centre a greater understanding of those with autism and the chance to make friends with them.
Outcomes
As well as benefitting 106 people directly and over 200 people indirectly, the project provided a much needed break for many families who would not otherwise get it. The achievements of those who participated in the project is clear to see from the products they created, essentially turning the project into a social enterprise which will hopefully continue to be successful for them in the future. Further to this, the mental health of those involved in the project has improved significantly as well as their communication skills. It is fantastic to see the impact this grant has made to the lives of these young people and their families. ICARE hopes to expand the project to 5 days a week in the future with the help of the HSE.