Content Archived on the Web

This content has not been altered or updated since it was archived. Please check our menus for latest news items.

Last modified: 29 Jul 2020 10:31am

A disco and a presentation run by Selwyn Launch Group is making life a little easier for Selwyn youth living with disabilities and their families.

The Selwyn Launch Group offers support to young people with disabilities and their whānau through activities and information evenings held in Selwyn.

The Council Selwyn Community Fund assisted the group to run a disco last year followed by a talk for parents on transitioning their children into flatting. The Community Fund has allowed the group to run events for free and expand its work, Selwyn Launch Group founder Sandra Gilmour says.

“The funding has permitted us to keep going, as all the committee naturally volunteer their time and energy into creating these events. This has meant we can run these two events each year, bring more services to Selwyn, and create more opportunities for our young adults.”

The Council provided the Rolleston Community Centre for the Mad Hatters disco, where the young adults enjoyed dancing to the music and a supper financed through the fund. It gave them a chance to socialise and dance freely in an anxiety-free safe environment, which can be limited in a mainstream setting.

The disco was also a great opportunity for their parents to network with each other, along with a presentation by Kaye Young in August 2019 as she shared her experience of successfully helping her disabled son transition into assisted living in a flat and answered questions. The parents came away from the talk feeling positive and prepared for the next step, no matter the extent of their child’s disability, said Mrs Gilmour.

Applications for the Selwyn Community Fund have been extended to 31 May.