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2803 Educators providing Courses

The Island Project

the island project

Meriden

The Island Project School was set up to provide a school for children and young people with autism. It was founded by parents whose children had previously been taught at home using Applied Behaviour Analysis ("ABA"). Without functional communication, adults with autism can be isolated from their family, community and even carers. Without clear and early intervention, children and young people may grow into adults with no communication or independence skills meaning that they become the most dependent, and sadly most vulnerable group whilst needing the largest amount of support. If, as a school, we can give young people a means of communication plus independence skills, we can give them a better quality of life, whilst reducing their long term dependence upon their community. Unfortunately, whilst Local Authorities have a legal obligation to provide appropriate education for all children, they do not have the space, funding, or expertise to provide appropriate education for all pupils, particularly those with complex communication needs and associated difficulties, or for those who have ABA on their EHC Plans In the West Midlands, there were no ABA schools when the Island Project was founded, and this remains largely the case. The School was founded using the principles of ABA, and the Pyramid Approach to Education which gives pupils an effective means of communication using the Picture Exchange System. The School recognises that having an effective means of communication, putting in place strategies around managing sensory difficulties, and the development of independence skills are key to enabling children and young people to successfully access education and a better quality of life in the future. In recognition of this, all pupils at the School have input from a Multi Disciplinary Team which includes Behaviour Analysts, Speech and Language Therapists and Occupational Therapists specialising in Sensory Integration. The School originated with three pupils in a small unit in Balsall Common. The Schoo was founded as a charity, and within a few years, had outgrown its original building and moved to new premises at Diddington Hall in Meriden.

The Holding Time Project

the holding time project

‘The Holding Time Project’ is a rolling inter-disciplinary, co-created portrait of breastfeeding.The outcomes of the project include writing and performances by breastfeeding mothers, animated portraits as immersive installations, audio tours using narratives and interviews, a Youtube channel and podcast. The project has been shortlisted for this year’s Royal College of Midwives Excellence in Public Health. These courses are designed to help new mothers, or anyone who has recently given birth, an opportunity to create poetry or prose from the experience of the post part period. With a particular emphasis on wellbeing, the process of creating new writing is an opportunity to make meaning form what can be a difficult journey to parenthood. In particular, the struggle to feed whilst recovering from birth, is a time when many find themselves isolated and grappling with a huge amount of new information. Writing, as a therapy can help to locate and identify key moments in this journey, giving the experience shape and definition.  Rachel New, our writing coach is an experienced workshop lead with years of writing and radio producing behind her. She designed this series of sessions to help mothers navigate their new landscape of motherhood as a group.  These workshops support the wider Holding Time programme, aimed at normalizing breastfeeding, deepening public engagement and increasing social concern for the needs of breastfeeding mothers and those who tried but were unable to breastfeed.