Support pack for neurodiverse young people developed by Southend City Youth Council.
Back in September 2023, Southend City Youth Council's elected Health and Wellbeing officer, Miles Elson (15) from Southend High School for Boys, pitched a project to develop a support pack for Neurodiverse young people. The group were enthusiastic about the idea of helping the ND community and have since met monthly to create the pack.
Miles writes 'Southend City Youth Council is an organisation aiming to make Southend the best that it can be for all its residents, especially the youth. Neurodivergence is often a taboo yet an incredibly important topic for our community and this pack is intended to get people talking about Neurodivergence, reducing the stigma surrounding this topic.'
One of the 16 Youth Council (YC) members working on the pack, Angie Grobler (13) from Belfairs Academy, shares on behalf of the group, 'our Neurodivergent Pack aims to help young people understand neurodivergent conditions, how those conditions may effect neurodiverse people, what young people can do to help those who have neurodivergent conditions and just how to be supportive.'
The pack will include the personal experiences of YC members who share stories of the successes, struggles and support they have encountered on their journeys through education and the wider world. They will include a variety of resources, including learning and planning tools which they themselves have tried and tested, playlists, podcasts and links to professional support designed to help other young people understand a variety of Neurodiverse conditions.
The group has collaborated with Clinical Psychologists, master's degree students, and CAHMS professionals to ensure that the information they share is able to benefit as many young people as possible. They have plans to share the support pack with the police service, and co-produce a training programme which educates the police on how best to support Neurodiverse young people in their community.
Youth council members work hard to ensure they hold an inclusive space, with 1 in 5 members having special educational needs and disabilities. If you are interested in becoming a member, please email emmaohara@southend.gov.uk.
I am sure you can agree that this Youth Council project is a brilliant way to celebrate neurodiversity in Southend!