The year is in full throttle now; YES and I.Lead have already been engaging with their communities and starting their projects again. I.Lead is all about communicating with the community, starting the year with a consultation with Aktive, discussing the ability to involve people with disabilities to be more engaged and active in recreational, competitive and social sports.
Aktive is about helping young New Zealanders interact with their sports organisations, breaking down barriers to enable opportunities for all young people to be involved. Collaborating with Aktive and its ideas fit well with I.Lead, enabling new opportunities for others to expand their skills.
Continuing to provide opportunities and removing barriers for young people with disabilities, I.Lead is providing a special opportunity for our young people. I.Lead has created a day for young people to be able to fill in their census forms for this year. This is due to the importance of having the census forms completed. Stats NZ is providing this opportunity for I.Lead to get our young people involved in the census, where previously a majority of the young people had their forms filled out for them without knowing the purpose of the census. Date and location is still to be confirmed for the event but keep an eye out on our website and social media platforms for updates.
YES has been invited to present Future Ready to New Zealand Disability Support Network. They are holding a hui with other organisations who also support people with disabilities. The hui is for other organisations to take away ideas and find the appropriate options that will benefit their clientele. Future Ready caters to young people who are transitioning from high school to the real world, whether that is tertiary education or the workforce. Future Ready is website that was developed by YES Disability and I.Lead, co-designed by young people with disabilities with the intention of creating a better transition experience.
YES had its first meeting with the Duke of Edinburgh participants for the new year, discussing the new opportunities they have for the adventurous journey and seeing their progress in the online record book. We are planning on going to Cambridge for a canoe adventure. This would be a new experience for our participants whether it’s the travel side or the canoe trip itself. We are aiming to expand the skills of our participants and provide them with the opportunity to be more independent.
