S-Club Sessions
S-Club sessions will engage young people and young adults in the next stages of life, developing their social, emotional and personal journey. Please see below for details on how to get involved!
What are S-Club sessions?
S-Club sessions are social groups for young people with Down’s syndrome aged 11 to early 20s. The club is split into three sessions; smiLE, skills and social.
The young people will follow a block programme of smiLE therapy, which will teach them:
to become actively responsible for their own communication and learning
ways to prevent or repair communication breakdown in face-to-face situations
a range of strategies to ensure they communicate their message successfully (hierarchy of communication strategies)
strategies to clarify information received
to self-evaluate
to work with their peers in a group and be respectful
socially appropriate behaviours eg. greetings, to wait if another person is busy
They will also have a skills session which will be PSHE-focussed; looking at subjects such as friendships, relationships, bodies, appropriate behaviour and more. These will be developed as a curriculum-led sessions by our specialist Education Lead and will therefore be fun-based learning.
The social session will give the young people time to hang out whilst they practise the skills they are learning, make friends, build connections and continue to reduce isolation.
Why do young people with Down’s syndrome need these groups?
Young people with Down’s syndrome are showing the world how much they can achieve given the right support. Saying that, our young people still struggle with low expectations of what they can achieve. They often struggle understanding social situations and reacting appropriately, with the added pressure of puberty and relationships upon them they can really benefit from having a safe space with professionals who understand them, to learn these vital skills. Using a syndrome specific approach our highly skilled staff can help the young people express themselves to the best of their ability, whilst facilitating appropriate social and behavioural responses to new social situations. The young people will explore their own identities and how they interact with the world around them. How young people manage social situations, relationships and challenges is key in enabling them to access their communities and build meaningful relationships with those around them. Our young people have the same range of emotions as all teenagers and young adults, it is truly vital that we give them the opportunities to work through these emotions in a safe space with their peers and staff to support them.
When and Where?
S-Club sessions will run on Saturdays in blocks of 10 weeks at our main building that is in central Maidstone, 5 -minutes from the M20. Specific dates and timings will be discussed upon registration.
Is there any cost?
21 Together are passionate about providing these sessions. We very heavily subsidise the sessions. To make the groups viable in the long term, we do ask families for a minimum donation for each session, which is payable in advance for each block of sessions. As always, if you feel for whatever reason that this cost would mean a young person could not attend, we would urge you to contact us as we have financial support available to those that need it.