Friendship Matters Course (4 Sessions)

Booking 1 ticket gives you access to all 4 sessions (see below dates for further details)

What this event is about?

Having good friends makes life more meaningful and fun. Friendships give us other people to talk to, learn from and share our interests and time with. They also provide support in times of need.

Having a range of friends is particularly important for people with developmental disabilities (intellectual disability or autism), particularly friends who can stand by the person and provide advocacy and support. Friends are also an important safeguard for the future when families are no longer able to provide support.

Often, we hear from people with developmental disabilities that they are lonely and don’t have many friends without a disability. Knowing how to make and keep friends can be hard, and this can be even harder for people with developmental disabilities when in the community.

There are a number of important factors in supporting a greater likelihood of friendship for people with developmental disabilities. These include being in the community in valued roles where friendships have the potential to develop, learning the nuanced skills to make and sustain friendships and having skilled supporters, especially support workers, who realise they have a critical role to play in fostering connection and the positive conditions for friendships to develop.

The Friendship Matters Course will bring people with developmental disabilities and those who support them together in a co-learning experience to understand the important role we can all play in supporting greater opportunities for friendships to develop and grow.

The following topics will be covered:

• The benefits of friendship
• Why friendship is important particularly for people who have developmental disability
• The differences between types of friendships and relationships
• How and where to make friends
• How support workers/supporters can better understand their role and specific actions they can take to create a context for friendship to flourish and sustain
• How to develop competencies to enhance ability and confidence in making friends

Who is this event for?

The Friendship Matters Course is an opportunity for people with developmental disabilities and their supporters to come together as a team to learn about friendship and share their experiences and ideas while exploring each other’s role in further enhancing friendship.

Supporters cannot come alone; they need to come with a person that they are supporting.

Event Details

This course will be delivered over 3 face to face sessions (Balwyn Library) with the final session being held online via Zoom.

Dates are as follows:

• Monday, 18 November 2024 (1.45 pm to 4.45 pm - Balwyn Library)
• Monday, 25 November 2024 (1.45 pm to 4.45 pm - Balwyn Library)
• Monday, 2 December 2024 (1.45 pm to 4.45 pm - Balwyn Library)
• Monday, 10 February 2025 (1.45 pm to 4.45 pm - Online via Zoom)

Afternoon tea is provided at all face-to-face sessions.

Accessibility

This course will use teaching methods that are accessible and engaging for people with developmental disabilities.

For further information please phone 03 9739 8333 or email info@belongingmatters.org