|
August
-October 08
Back by popular
demand! The PASTEL clients are starting on a brand new PASTEL
Shadow Puppet Show for public showing in the Saxmundham Arts
Festival in October.
April
-June 08
The
first series of workshops in 2008 focused on food hygiene
and prepararation, with the opportunity for clients to gain
the national Level 1 Award in "Food Safety in Catering",
awarded from The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health.
Working in competing teams - the Green Peppers vs the Red
Tomatoes - clients had fun learning not only about food hygiene
and food preparation but also addressing the PASTEL desired
outcomes of building their self-esteem and confidence and
gaining skills in communicating, decision making and team
work.
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 |
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| After all the food preparation and cooking exercises
and the food-themed drama, fun and games, it was time
for revision... |
Clients took their work seriously, studying with their
personal copies of "A Begiineers's Guide to Food
Safety", in preparation for their exam. |
On the day, ten clients opted to take the exam and seven
passed - a great result! And, there will be the opportunity
for the other three, and further volunteers, to take the
exam again, later in the year... |
January
- March 08
-
PASTEL has
communicated some of its learning and best practise from
the transition training programme, in the form of a case
study, to help raise the profile of the work that PASTEL
is doing to involve our clients in the programme. The research
was conducted by Voluntary Action Westminster on behalf
of the Government sponsored Performance Hub, which has culminated
in a publication, in which PASTEL are credited, entitled
“ Centre Stage? Making choices about involving users” -
available from the National Council for Voluntary Organisations
(NCVO).
- PASTEL
launched its 2008 Transition Training workshops programme
on Saturday , March 15th - and this will run fornightly
throughout the year until Saturday, December 6th These workshops
are for young adults with learning difficulties and/or disabilities
( aged 11-25). Referals can come from parent/carers, Youth
& Connexions, Social Care or JobCentrePlus. For more
information, click here.
- PASTEL registered as an Open College Network training
centre ready to offer national accreditations for the progress
of its clients.
- PASTEL approved by Business Link to deliver one-to-one
business support to other social enterprises in Suffolk.
For further information, click
here.
- PASTEL approved by Social Enterprise East of England to
deliver micro-coaching to other small enterprises in Suffolk.
For further information, click
here.
September
-December 07
- PASTEL
signs Suffolk Compact
|
On
Wednesday November 7th, PASTEL attended the launch of
the Suffolk Compact - in the lecture Theatre at the
Cathedral, Bury St.Edmunds -
to acknowledge and celebrate the commitment of PASTEL
in signing the compact. PASTEL was presented with a
certificate recognising the social enterprise as a founding
signatory to the the Compact in Suffolk.
The
Compact is a set of guidelines and principles for voluntary
and community organisations and public agencies to adopt
in order to improve working relationships between the
two sectors. Having a robust Compact in Suffolk ensures
that effective partnerships can develop and thrive,
working together for the benefit of communities in Suffolk
. |
- PASTEL
delivers uplifting Arts Festival Performance
On
October 25th, the PASTEL team delivered their shadow puppet
show "The Princess and the Penguin".
The PASTEL Puppet
Show was an original youth production especially created for
the Saxmundham Arts Festival. The show, aimed at a primary
school age group, incorporated shadow puppetry, music, poetry
and singing “ with a little audience participation.
The show was delivered
to an audience of around 90 children,
parents and grand-parents - as part of the week-long Saxmundham
Arts Festival. The group had come up with an original fairy
story, created the characters, puppets and props and acted
in the final performance. The PASTEL clients had worked together
as a team, communicating their ideas and making all the key
decisions. It was very much their own show and their self
esteem and confidence was boosted by the enthusiastic audience
response - and they were immediately booked for next year
by the festival organisers!
Meanwhile,
a video made of the show will be making its way on to this
website early in the New Year...
- PASTEL
becomes a Community Interest Company
On
October 12th, PASTEL converted from a Company Limited by Guarantee
to a Community Interest Company. The name changed from PASTEL
(Personal Development) Ltd to PASTEL Community Interest Company.
This
move is designed to reassure future stakeholders and funders
of our committed community interest and benefits and paves
the way for enhancing operations and expanding future activities.
June
- August 07
- PASTEL
delivers Inclusive Team Training
On
Saturday August 4th, The PASTEL team — clients, volunteers
and members of the management committee took part in a very
successful and well-received day's training in first aid –
together. This training was delivered in partnership with
The British Red Cross and was designed to produce an innovative
workshop with a more flexible approach to suit all the team's
wants and needs. Very importantly, this course recognised
that everyone's a potential lifesaver. However, as with all
PASTEL Transition Training workshops, this first aid-course
was not just about learning first aid skills, it also helped
our clients to increase their confidence and their ability
to act independently.
The
day's training covered a wide range of subjects from incident
management, calling the emergency services, caring for an
unconscious casualty who is breathing, caring for a casualty
who is not breathing normally, management of blood loss and
shock and management of burns and scolds.
Students
were observed in practical skill tests as well as interviewed
individually to test their knowledge.
All
the students received a Candidate Record Book as a record
of their achievement and a certificate. Everyone enjoyed themselves
so much on the day that they voted to repeat the exercise
as part of their ongoing training programme!
- PASTEL Newsletter produced (to view, click
here)
 |
| Youngsters of the PASTEL group enjoy a Punch
and Judy show at the Riverside Centre in Stratford St
Andrew |
A HELP group for
youngsters with learning difficulties set up by parents and
carers today vowed to help other families who feel left out
in the cold.
Last month, headteachers from the three Ipswich special schools
which cater for youngsters until their late teens lifted the
lid on the lack of opportunities for their students once they
leave education.
Today, leaders of the PASTEL education and training social
enterprise, based in Stratford St Andrew, offered to help
out in the wake of the schools' concerns.
Don Tricker chief executive of PASTEL, said not only would
it open its doors to new families, but it was also willing
to share its expertise and research with other parents wanting
to set up their own groups.
PASTEL was started in 2005 by parents and carers in the Saxmundham
area who felt isolated from facilities because of their rural
setting.
The group, run by volunteers, now has funding to provide fortnightly
workshops for the next three years, and said it can help others
do the same.
Mr Tricker, who has an 18-year-old son Dominic with Downs
Syndrome, said: “I agree with the schools in that children
with learning difficulties are on a conveyor belt and, while
they learn some excellent life skills in their education,
the statutory world loses interest with them after school
and they fall off the conveyor belt, transferring all the
responsibility back to families.
“Out here in rural east Suffolk these youngsters suffer a
triple-whammy - they are not only disadvantaged by personal
impairments and the attitudes of others, but also their general
environment.
“As a parent/carer, with the help of some others, we found
the only solution was to form a social enterprise, bid for
funds and get on with it ourselves.
“Now we are in a position where we can provide a working model
to be replicated elsewhere, by other parent and carers.
“Anyone who wants to set up an enterprise like this can talk
to us and we will help them.
“There's no point just sitting back and complaining when services
are being cut. This way we are doing something about it.”
Pastel runs fortnightly five-hour workshops for 11 to 25 year
olds with learning difficulties and/or disabilities.
Workshops use performing arts and other fun activities, delivered
by professional tutors at the Riverside Centre at Stratford
St Andrew.
See www.pastel.org.uk or call 01728 604944 for details.
March
- May 07
- Venue for PASTEL Transition Traing Programme secured
- Tutors selected and contracted
- New promotion flyer/poster circulated to all stakeholders
- First four Volunteers recruited.
- New Transition Training Programme launched
- First ten Clients recruited/referred
February
07
Lottery
Bid
Following
the successful completion of a pilot trial, running from March
to November in 2006, PASTEL successfully submitted a Full
Application to the Big Lottery Young People's Fund to underpin
a full launch and a sustained three year transition training
programme - for young adults (11-25) with learning difficulties
and/or disabilities.
Click
here to view PASTEL's press release.
The
programme kicks off with the first taster workshop on Saturday,
March 31st at The Riverside Centre, Stratford St.Andrew (on
the A12). This will be the first of a succession of fortnightly
5-hour workshops (10.30am - 3.30pm, with bring-your-own packed
lunch). |
