Recently at Thera we have been celebrating the work being done to help the people we support build meaningful relationships and the overwhelming and profound impact this can have on people. In keeping with this, we are currently looking at Brightsparks, a shared support group ran by Thera (Scotland), which has helped the people they support to build social groups, develop confidence, and gain valuable life skills.
Brightsparks, an initiative supported by the Midlothian Council, has been instrumental in fostering positive relationships among boys through its shared support structure. The program takes place at Brightsparks nursery, where Midlothian council have given us a room for free. Thera (Scotland) uses it as a base to operates from on Monday to Thursday and provide a safe and engaging environment for the boys to interact, learn, and grow together.
Lisa Hume, Team Coordinator for Thera (Scotland) who works with the Brightsparks group, shared insights into how the program has benefited the boys:
“The main benefit is probably the friendship and social interaction, especially between the shared support Dylan, Charlie, and Drew. They’ve been together for well, Dylan and Charlie, especially for five years now, and Drew has been there for about three years, so they formed a really good friendship bond between them.”
The boys participate in various activities, including cooking, arts and crafts, and community outings. These activities not only help them develop essential life skills but also strengthen their bonds. Lisa says: “One of the boys, when he first started, he was almost nonverbal and didn’t really want to speak to anyone. Now he has much more confidence, even representing us at a fair we had a stall at last week.”
Lisa also highlighted the boys’ involvement in planning their activities.
They really like to plan their own activities. And they do some cooking and some life skills. But mostly it is community-based support. They’re like going up into Uptown, to the museum or Botanic Gardens, or Bowling’s a favourite, like going to the beach and collecting shells. And then that’s what they used in their crafts that they made and things like that.
Brightsparks has undoubtedly made a significant impact on the boys’ lives, helping them build lasting friendships and grow in confidence. The program’s success is a testament to the power of shared support and community based support in helping people to build confidence and necessary skills.