THINK18
WHY THINK18?
A note from the founder: Tessa Denison
Rosie my daughter has Down’s Syndrome. She is now 18 and wants to go out, like any young teenager, socialise and make new friends, but it’s not that easy. Her vulnerability means she needs additional help and to be in a safe environment so life can be very frustrating for her and other young adults with learning disabilities. When most 18 year olds become adults for our young adults life is very different. Why can’t our young adults have age appropriate social events? Club nights, visit the pub, social activities, a night out with their mates, go to the theatre or a concert.
That’s why we formed THINK18!
Tessa recognised the particular difficulties young people with learning disabilities face in the transition to adulthood. These challenges include safe socialising, relationships and staying healthy. There has been a particular emphasis on physical activities as many of our young people need to stay healthy and exercise helps promote their wellbeing.
The charity has been running since 2019 and is growing fast; as of May 2022 we have 70 members.
Our weekly Saturday mornings at The Appledram are attended by up to 30 young adults.
We can reach more young adults via our Zoom online activities each week which include THINKDANCE, THINKDRAMA, THINKART, THINKHEALTH and THINKSING.
We also offer theatre trips, camping trips and weekly Thursday evening socials allowing our members to meet up safely and enjoy themselves.
Our THINKOUT strand, which was rolled out in September 2021 offers young adults a wide choice of high quality day activities Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and follows our ethos to Live, Learn and Work in the community. We have two educational practitioners onboard helping integrate our members into the community, with an emphasis too on healthy and physical wellbeing and realising each individuals hopes and dreams.
THINK18
TELL ME MORE!
We are fortunate enough to be mentored by ‘The halow project’ a Guildford based charity who support young adults (aged 16+) with a learning disabilities. ‘The halow project’ has 12 years experience and they support over 170 young adults. THINK18 can call upon their knowledge and expertise to ensure we create a charity that works for our young adults and provides them with activities which they want!
Why don’t you take a look? Check out the video!
THINK18
WHERE ?
We are currently running events in and around Chichester.
Every Saturday we run our event at The Apuldram Centre, for THINKOUT we base our services at 104, The Hornet, Chichester.
We organise trips to the pub (Duke and Rye) , cinema, theatre trips, camping and walks in and around West Sussex.
Please contact THINK18 if you would like more information
THINK18
WHAT Next?
Why don’t you register your interest by clicking the button below?
We will add you to our mailing list and let you know of any events happening. If you would like to come along to our events your young adult will need to fill out a ‘Getting to know you’ form and we will contact you for more information. There are lots of events planned for the future to ensure our young adults have fun, achieve their dreams and do what they love.
GET IN TOUCH WITH 'THINK18'
phone number and we will be in touch soonest.
Registered Charity No 1186158
FUNDRAISING
We would really appreciate your help.
Give our young adults the
chance to
MAKE FRIENDS & HAVE FUN !
Thank-you to the photographer Johnny Fenn
THINK18 – HMRC registerer