The Growth & Mindset project will deliver a service specifically for children and young people with and without disabilities and their families. They will work with children from the age of 0 years old to 12 years of age to help them re-build their emotional resilience, self-esteem and confidence which has been devastated by the pandemic.
The aims of the project are to see:
– Children who have developed skills to manage their own mental wellbeing and regulate their emotions using mindfulness techniques they have learnt through attending the mindfulness programme
– Children with disabilities will work towards improved child development milestones, socialisation skills, through attending dedicated one to one support provision and improved their confidence, self- esteem and emotional resilience and reduced anxiety around separation from parents through attending the one-to-one support service.
– Families will have improved knowledge and understanding on how to implement support for their children at home through a dedicated advice, guidance, and support service
The funding will directly support staff costs creating 4 jobs in Resolven.
“We are delighted to be working with Pen y Cymoedd and receiving this funding will mean that this project will working in partnership with schools, community organisations and families through offering a mindfulness programme that will help children understand the importance of not just looking after their physical body but their mental well-being too. Emotional self-care is vital in helping us build resilience and this project will aim to achieve this. We are also providing support to children with disabilities and their families and particularly after the pandemic we have seen an increase in anxiety, children being apart from their families and further development delay. Therefore we will work with families and children to ensure they receive specialist and tailored one to one support to help build children’s emotional resilience, self-esteem and confidence and alongsidethis being there for the families with advice and support they require”.
“This project has been developed following a pilot funded by Third Sector Mental Health Service Provision, Swansea Bay University Health Board. When they approached the fund, they had reviewed its effectiveness and measured this by speaking with the staff who delivered the programme and with the children who received the programme, as well as having carried out extensive consultation with 80 existing and 260 non-existing beneficiaries using a wide variety of methods. We were impressed with planning that had gone into programme and the scope of impact this project could have, we wish them all the best.” – Kate Breeze, Pen y Cymoedd Wind Farm Community Fund
“Building Blocks are a well-established organisation working with children, young people and families and more recently providing dedicated support to children with disabilities and their families. Throughout COVID they continued to adapt their service to meet the changing needs of the community. This project has been developed following a successful pilot which they have evaluated and taken the learning from. We have yet to see the full extent of the impact of COVID and lockdown restrictions on children’s development and learning, this programme will provide much needed tools to help children build their own mechanisms for dealing with day-to-day life and more traumatic experiences. This is an exciting project that will reach across the fund area in the Neath and Afan valleys.” – Carys Miles, NPT CVS
