Every Tuesday evening, Zoe and her sons, Finley and William, make the trip from their home to Inspire’s Hadleigh youth centre.
It’s become a journey with a significant purpose, as both Finley and William attend Inspire’s neurodiverse sessions, which aim to support those with additional needs.
“William is 11; he’s non-verbal, low functioning autism, and Finley is 13, high-functioning autism,” Zoe says. “One night, after Finley attended a Friday night drop-in session at the youth centre, we were told about the Neurodiverse nights starting. We went along and have been coming ever since.
“William is noise sensitive and wears ear defenders, so he is not very tolerant of younger children who scream and make noise. It can be hard for us to go anywhere with other children, such as swimming or soft play. These sessions have offered us a safe place to come.”
And William’s confidence is growing with every passing week, as Zoe explains: “The last three sessions, he hasn’t worn his ear defenders. He takes them off in the car before we go so it gives me the signal that it’s a place where he’s comfortable.
“He has a quiet world and he’s just enjoying himself so much that he would like to listen more, talk to people and build relationships with people. It’s a structured atmosphere, but William also has the freedom to explore, which has been really refreshing.”
During the sessions, various activities are on offer, such as quizzes, bingo and arts and crafts, encouraging children to socialise and make friends. They also learn essential skills for independent living, such as cooking, budgeting, personal safety and hygiene.
“Everyone at Inspire goes above and beyond,” Zoe adds. “They know William very well and when they think that he might not take part in an activity, they are always prepared with something else to do.
“They must have to go through a lot of planning to produce these sessions and they have a lot of patience. They give so much and make it a wonderful experience for the kids.”
As for the future, Zoe and her sons are looking forward to continuing their Inspire journey.
“For Finley, he gets to do something with his brother and socialise with others,” she says. “And William often says to me, ‘mummy, friends tonight?’ He knows when it’s Tuesday and he’s going to see his friends. To have this group of people together, all having fun, is great.”
Find out more about Hadleigh Youth Centre here.
Also read: How Inspire’s youth clubs support young people’s in-school learning
