The Cedar Foundation

Name Of Organisation:	The Cedar Foundation
Name Of Project:	Project Resource
Project Number:	4932
Location:	Belfast
Beneficiary Target Group:	Unemployed Males & Females
Total Budget Allocation:	£136,620

Improved opportunities for disabled people to participate in training and employment are restricted by the short supply of skilled support professionals. This programme addresses the skill shortage in this emerging market by delivering a programme of customised training, equipping people with the skills to be employed as Disability Resource Workers. Training is accredited to NVQ Level 3 equivalent.

Martin Allison's Story

Duration of course: September 2004 May 2005

The participants in Project Resource Workers' Project came from diverse backgrounds. Most had worked in a voluntary capacity for Cedar, The Rowan Centre, Lisburn, First Aid or Sporting groups. I think that the course enabled us to focus on the realistic choice options available to people with disabilities in the home, social and academic spheres.

Each participant became more aware of his/her personal strengths in areas from personal care to note-taking (BIFHE).

I believe that a Resource Worker should assist people to head towards the life they choose. This could mean help with English, Maths, cookery and crafts.

Feeling part of a group or community is vital for us all. For those who are often excluded, a feeling of alienation ensues. Here activities such as book clubs, choirs and even general social interaction can greatly reduce this negative feeling and build up a sense of hope and anticipation.

The Cedar Foundation tries to encourage people to do what they want. It does not tell people what they should do but supports them in their individual choices.

The course allowed us many insights in to our own personalities. I found that personal care wasn't for me and I greatly enjoyed the note-taking. Others felt the reverse. Although very different I think our group got on very well and shared our ideas.

I believe that the course enabled me to understand the difficulties which people with disabilities face on a daily basis. Following on from this understanding, the course gave me a greater insight as to how these barriers could be overcome by a realistic, achievable and positive approach.

Lynda McManus' Story

I have just finished doing a Disability Resource Worker course at Cedar Foundation on the Lisburn Road. When I started the course I did not know what to expect as I had never worked with anybody who had a disability or had much contact with any one who was disabled.

At the time I started the course I didn't know what exactly I wanted to do, but I knew what I didn't want to do - the part time jobs I had always done like cleaning work, working in a chip shop or waitressing in coffee shops. There is nothing wrong with those jobs but I just felt that there was something missing and I had no job satisfaction so when I saw the advert for the course in my local newspaper I phoned right away. Unfortunately I had just missed the application date but the girl I was speaking to invited me to call in to Cedar Foundation and have a chat. When I went to Cedar I met Denise (who was to become my tutor) and she asked me about myself and why I was interested in joining the course. When I told her I was the mother of three children, the youngest of which was 13, and I felt that I would like to work with the disabled but had no qualifications, she suggested I take pre-core units in Return to Study, Maths and English and start the next course that September so I jumped at the chance.

It was a lot of hard work in that I was like a school kid again as I had homework and essays to write, but I have never enjoyed working so much. It has been such a rewarding experience, I have met new friends in the group I was in and also in the tutors who taught us. Everyone has been really helpful and the tutors and staff in Cedar do everything in their power to help you get the most out of the course.

When Denise first spoke to me she asked if I would like to help out in a class with students who had had a brain injury which I did and really enjoyed. Working with the students I learned a lot which helped me in my course work. Also through the course I met a man in my ECDL class who introduced me to another group who work with disabled children and take them to America to take part in the New York State Games. I have also just done this. I was chaperone to Cora, a 13 year-old girl who has partial paralysis called sacral agenesis. For the two weeks we were away I became her parent and looked after her. At the games she won 7 gold medals and 2 silver and it was a very good confidence building adventure for both of us. At Cedar I learned a lot of things, not just about disability awareness but other things as well, like communication skills, personal skills, having patience and understanding, to listen to what the other person is saying and not to assume things. To say I have enjoyed the course is an understatement - it has been one of the most interesting and enjoyable experiences I have ever done and I hope it is only the beginning.