Link2

ABOUT 

Link2 is joining The Warren and is vital for adults with special needs & learning difficulties in Basingstoke. Formerly the Link Club, who successfully ran for 11 years and hired The Warren, supported by Dove House Special School. There is now an even greater need to support these young adults back into the community post Covid. They need to regain their confidence travelling on public transport, seeking employment, and becoming contributing members of the community again. Link2 has built working relationships with organisations who support young people into work, voluntary work or provide a pathway to gaining employment.

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LINK2 is a family orientated group run by experienced staff who know and understand all members and their families and have developed a real friendship with them. For people with learning disabilities and autism processing life can often be a frustrating reality, never more than now.

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Preparing for independent living is key to our programme; making a simple meal and learning about healthy eating, diet, hygiene, operating domestic appliances and cleaning, making an appointment or arranging a simple activity with a friend are all supported activities.

 

MONDAY NIGHT IS LINK2 CLUB NIGHT - 6pm – 8.30pm

At the Monday club we often have over 60 members attending all aged 16 to 28 year. Our support is discrete. We allow members as much independence as they can manage so they can enjoy a night out just like any other young adult.

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WE HAVE SUCH FUN providing a wide and varied timetable of social activities.

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OUR MISSION STATEMENT

LINK2 seeks to provide a friendly supportive environment for young adults with learning disabilities and their families who can find life challenging.  We support them on a path to growing independence as they move into adult life.

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Link2 fosters a culture of respect and friendship between it's members and staff at all times.

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OUR AIMS

• To help young adults to rebuild their confidence and lives, during and after the pandemic. Reducing individual’s social isolation and loneliness,

• Provide regular and varied Monday evening clubs available to all members.

• Maintain and develop strong links with the Job Centre Plus and build on our database of companies who are sympathetic to Link2 for work experience/ voluntary work/ ultimately work

• Providing Lifeskills support to the members, including training to use a bus to get to work and home.

• Enabling access/use of necessary facilities or services in the community, to include recreational facilities and services without a chaperone.

• Help Families and Carers to feel more supported and form positive and informative   relationships with other parents and carers.

• Provide Independent driving theory skills to boost confidence levels and hopefully independence

• Support/ signposting members with queries about benefit claims and  Inform about relevant services

• improved financial literacy, budgeting skills and confidence when manging money.

• Increasing people’s nutritional awareness to help prevent decline in physical health

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EXPANDING LINK2

With additional grant funding support, we aim to hold training sessions to complement our regular Monday social meeting. Link2 staff are proactive in supporting our members with any venture, be it employment, voluntary work or just life, we match our support to individual needs.

We seek to empower young people so they can make decisions about their future and support them while they navigate a pathway.

We wish to maintain the comfortable social grouping that is LINK2 while extending the experiences we can provide. In conversation with parents and young people we have targeted activities and projects that they said are important to them

1. Maintain and develop our access to work programme

2. Develop confidence for independent travel

3. Provide experiences to promote Resilience and self esteem

4. General Lifeskills and finding their full potential as an independent adult

5. Short break holidays

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TESTIMONIAL

 

GAME WAREHOUSE

"We have worked with Dilys for over 5 years now supporting her with getting students valuable work experience to help enhance their CVs and providing them with life experiences which had previously been difficult to attain. We have gone on to hire a number of students into full time roles at Game. It has been an absolute pleasure working with Dilys and the students and we hope to continue supporting such a great scheme"

 

 LUXONIC

Over the years Luxonic Lighting have supported the club with fund raising events. They have been a vital part of our into work programme, offering young members work experience and jobs. We are so grateful to companies like Luxonic who give our young people a chance.

Thank you Luxonic

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"We send our daughter to the club because it is one place where she is not judged but accepted for who she is"

  

                       "Without the LINK2 my daughter would not have had the opportunity to do a job that she                                    really enjoyed."   

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     "I miss being at The Link Club on Monday Evening's"

 

"Café in the Park has employed one member for 3 years on Saturday for 5 hours a week. He has grown in confidence and self-esteem and will now deliver drinks and approach customers, making small talk and asking if they need anything else.

Basingstoke and Deane “A place to be proud of 2018” LINK2 Runner up"

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