It’s Launch Day: Learning For Life
Growing Up and Keeping Safe! For most, this is a pretty daunting subject to address with our young people with Down’s syndrome and other learning disabilities. It can be a tough subject regardless of the needs of the persons we are working with. Despite these difficulties, it is VITAL! Our young people deserve to have access to all the information in a way they can understand it. They deserve to feel supported, empowered and listened to, throughout their development.
As a charity, we recognised this need and have been creating a bespoke project, with this in mind. Together with Widgit, whose symbols are used in a wide range of locations, including thousands of schools, healthcare settings and homes, to support communication, education and understanding, we have launched Learning For Life.
It’s a new project that we’ve been able to create thanks to funding from The National Lottery Community Fund. It covers personal health, emotions, relationships, and appropriate behaviour. The new material consists of videos and accompanying free, downloadable student resource packs to get users started with different activities to reinforce learning, as well as get the conversation started about the nuances of different social situations. They’re the perfect springboard to further activities and personalise the experiences.
The first set of videos is titled ‘Growing Up and Keeping Safe’ and covers:
Public and Private Places
We All Need Privacy
My Body - I Am A Girl
My Body - I Am A Boy
Public and Private Activities
Appropriate Touch
It’s My Body
How Do I Know You?
Touch Control
Personal Space
Sheryl who previewed the resources with her son Jake, aged 16, who has Down’s syndrome, said:
“The ‘Growing Up and Keeping Safe’ videos and resources are absolutely brilliant. They are really high-quality and so engaging. My son Jake and I enjoyed watching them together and the content really clicked with him. The resources are very visual and presented in a clear and straightforward way, making them accessible to young people with Down’s syndrome. The topics covered are so important but are not always easy to talk about and there are few resources out there. The ‘Growing Up and Keeping Safe’ videos are just what we need and they are free! Having access to this high-quality material free of charge will I am sure, be welcomed by the Down’s syndrome community”.
Jo Aiyathurai, CEO of Learn and Thrive said “We are so excited that we can now offer these bespoke free resources to all young people in the UK. Our vision is that every child and young person, regardless of background, income, or family situation deserves access to education materials that meet their needs. For too long access has mainly been available to those that can pay for it”.
As a team, we’re really proud of what we’ve accomplished for this project and the community of people with Down’s syndrome and other learning difficulties. They’ve truly been at the heart of every decision we’ve made, in order to make sure that we’re providing them with resources that they can rely on to further their learning, boost their confidence and leave them empowered.
If you or someone you support would benefit from Learning For Life, it’s live NOW and the link to sign up is here.