A group of ten disabled young people from North Yorkshire has been successful in earning a cash award to support a series of activities taking place this Summer.
The ‘Can Do’ Group has received £500 for a visit to Chester Zoo, having researched and planned the day themselves and presented the idea to a panel of assessors.
The young people, from Harrogate and York, formed the group in 2008 with the support of staff from the charity Leonard Cheshire Disability. The group meets weekly to plan activities and events for themselves and other disabled young people in the area. For the last twelve months the group has also worked closely with Fieldworkers from local charity North Yorkshire Youth to access funding from Keyfund, a grant-fund managed in North Yorkshire by the County Council’s Youth Support Service. Keyfund aims to support young people’s ideas that are innovative and show learning and development in those who have taken part.
Speaking of the award, Keyfund Panel Facilitator Lenny Lennon said, “This has been such a rewarding process for the group, not just in terms of the visit to Chester Zoo, but in how much they’ve learned and the life skills they’ve developed in researching and planning the trip.”
Speaking of the experience on BBC Radio York, 23-year old group member Kerry reflected, “I’ve learned a lot about working in a team and helping others, my self-confidence is so much higher now”.
