RESIDENT SHAREHOLDERS
Event Feedback

Patch 3 Dance Session

Patch 3 was a project over two months where two young men and a young lady from Forum engaged in Dance & Photography taster session.  They spent weeks rehearsing the dance that was created, even getting up 7am on a Sunday morning to go to Liverpool to rehearse with other groups from around the region.

The young people really enjoyed this opportunity and felt that it was a brilliant experience and were even encouraging young people from other groups to behave appropriately.

Resi Rep Zone

These sessions are held at the same time, same place in each of the Speak Ezys. This session provides a regular opportunity for residents to update the Resident Rep Team on what is happening in the Projects, with the young people in their lives and to discuss how the Team can to steer the sessions to meet the needs of the young people.

This is also an excellent time to promote what is going on inside the Association, and outside in the community!  This session is vital to the role of the Team and young people thoroughly enjoy sharing a little bite to eat, refreshment and some time out from what is going on in their lives to have a relaxed chat.

Cheshire Disability Summit

The event we went to was to making more people aware of disabilities and making people realise the difficulty that some people with physical disabilities have and how we can ensure services develop and change. This was something I felt proud to do having a severe disability myself, this gave me the experience to share the importance of awareness using examples in my life.

We got involved in discussions with other organisations at the conference about what we felt the main problems are and what we could do to help resolve them positively.

The best part about the event was getting involved in discussions and finding out what people think disabilities are and from a personal level listening to Lawrence Clarke, an inspirational speaker with a severe disability and such a positive outlook on life.

The main thing I learned was that there is a massive amount of bullying that goes on around disabilities, especially in younger children and there needs to be more awareness of the meaning of disability, that it is ok to have a disability and that people with a disability are not inadequate to people who are able bodied.

Housing Solutions Homelessness Strategy Consultation - Cheshire

Three residents of Ellesmere Port Projects agreed to meet with a young man on work placement for the housing sector in Cheshire to discuss their experience of what happens when they present themselves homeless at the age of 16 or 17.

The feedback was not great, however our young people had lots of positive suggestions on how young people should be treated, supported and more importantly made to feel welcome.

We where informed this would contribute to the collation of a new strategy and way of working with 16 and 17 year old so we will watch this space.

Intergenerational Work

The Team have been working hard alongside the Project Reps to build up a better reputation in the community; they have had a marvellous success with the older generation through some excellent partnerships one being with Wirral Partnership Homes who have Clifton Grange which is accommodation for the elderly. We have visited them and revamped their gardens in 2009 and returned in 2010 for the Easter weekend where our residents and Clifton Grange residents enjoyed bingo, more gardening and completed some odd jobs.

In Sefton we have a similar relationship with Millspring Court whose landlord is One Vision Housing. Our young people have been undertaking regular sessions educating the elderly on how to use the Wii games console which has proved to be an excellent bonding tool.

The group together are working on some more ideas around celebrating the lives of the residents of Millspring Court using some of our residents’ skills in drama etc.