Newsletter Issue 1
And here we have it! Learn and Thrive’s first Newsletter!
Packed with insightful articles, expert tips, and exclusive resources, our newsletter brings a range of tips and information to make your day that little bit easier.
Don’t forget to subscribe to get our quarterly updates!
Who are Learn and Thrive?
In case you don’t know us, we are a national UK charity! We create and produce free digital learning resources for children and young people with SEN. Our two projects cater for different age groups and teach different topics. You can always read more about who we are and our different projects in our blog.
Be an ambassador
Introducing… Che!
Here’s our newest initiative - ambassadors! We will be showcasing some amazing individuals in our community who use each of our projects.
Che here is a Teach Me Too ambassador - and our first! He has been using Teach Me Too for over 6 months, and you can read more about his experience in our blog!
Keep your eyes out for more about Che and his learning journey…
Learning for Life is growing!
We’ve had an incredibly busy few months in Learning for Life. ‘Caring Friendships’ launched in September, and ‘Being Healthy’ in November. After tirelessly working on these series, and going slightly loopy filming them (check out the Outtakes - our brains were melting!), we have loved seeing all your feedback, so thank you!
For those of you asking (and there are lots of you), when the new Changing Adolescent Body Series is coming. We promise, it’s on its way, we just want to give it the time and attention it deserves. Give us further feedback or email us if you have anything in particular you’d like to see!
Our team, your community.
Learn and Thrive’s team has been growing!
We welcomed Laura, our Digital Marketing Officer, in August, and Hannah, our Charity Administrative Coordinator, in December! Hannah will be the first port of call for all general enquiries and will wear many hats - don’t hesitate to contact her on contact@learnandthrive.org.uk. You can contact Laura directly for anything marketing/media based on comms@learnandthrive.org.uk.
The team may be growing, but we are still all here to help. Hannah will direct you to whichever member of the team can best help with your query.
Here’s Alex, Laura, and Jo at the tes SEND Show in October!
“He really enjoys the videos and is more chatty now than he was before. His self esteem is growing”
Spotlight!
DS Achieve
In each newsletter, we plan to highlight a SEN group who we work with and show our users what they do!
Our first issue introduces DS Achieve, a Down’s syndrome charity based in Hertfordshire. They run a wide variety of groups and training sessions, including some online which can be accessed across the country. All their up to date sessions can be found on their website.
DS Achieve is a small charity which works with families and professionals in Hertfordshire and the surrounding counties to enable children and young people with Down’s syndrome to reach their potential, whatever that may be. Our focus is education and development and they offer a number of services, including:
an early years intervention programme called 'Little Achievers' for 0-5s
a social development programme for school age children and young people up to 17 years called 'Young Achievers'
training for families and professionals
bespoke onsite guidance and training for schools, called 'Resources into Schools'
volunteering opportunities for young people with Down Syndrome to develop their social and work-based skills… and more.
““I am so impressed with your Teach Me Too videos. I take a break once a week from teaching my daughter and also her to watch your videos. My daughter loving calls that “Lucy Day”. Thank you for these wonderful resources”
Donors
We’d also like to give a big Learn and Thrive ‘thank you’ to a chosen funder from the last three months. This issue, we are highlighting the Peter Harrison Foundation, who provided us with a very generous grant. This will go towards the creation of the upcoming Learning for Life puberty series: The Changing Adolescent Body.
Every penny counts, so consider donating today.
“It’s really fantastic! Just been through the first 4 videos from the 1st series [of Learning for Life] with my daughter, age 11. It’s perfect in terms of content, speed, and keeping her attention... Such great timing for us and looking forward to going through all the series with her, particularly excited about friendships and emotions.””