8. Equal Futures: Circle of Support
a) Circle of Support Kinross: Eight years ago Lindsay was living at home with her parents and attending a day centre in Perth. When she first built her circle of support through Equal Futures it was easy to see immediately what one of Lindsay's gifts was - how she connects with people within the community and how she can naturally form friendships. Lindsay invited a group of people that she already had a strong bond with to become the core of her Circle. Though most of those original members are still active, Lindsay has also made a special effort to bring in new people and build new friendships.
With the Circle's help Lindsay was able to express many hopes and dreams but first amongst these was to have a home of her own and for that home to be in Perth. Through the support of her Circle, however, she soon realised that just because she went to the day centre in Perth, didn't mean she had to live there. Kinross was where all her friends were and she'd actually be far happier living close to them. With hard work by all, Lindsay acquired her own home in Kinross which she decorated to her own tastes and filled with her own character, and arrangements were made for her to receive support daily to living independently.
The next challenge for the Circle was that Lindsay wasn't really being part of the community by travelling daily to attend a centre in Perth. They worked at finding more productive ways to spend her days locally. Her life is varied now - college, faith and light group, pottery, curling club and competitions, church groups, visiting friends and gliding. Lindsay is a member of the local gliding club and has just done her 144 th flight.
Lindsay's very latest project is to get people who have poor mobility to enjoy the walking trail round Loch Leven, so with a little help from Kinross Partnership she has managed to get a local farm food shop to be the caretakers for mobility scooters so that people with walking difficulties can enjoy the views and wild life.
b) Circle of Support - Perth: Ewen and his parents had been away from Scotland for many years. When they returned they found out about Equal Futures through one of the group's family mentors and immediately loved the idea of trying to establish a Circle of Support. they found that asking people they had not seen for many years to be part of Ewen's Circle was not easy. That was where the Community Connector came in and it was he who successfully took on the job of asking people to become part of the Circle.
To the outsider, Ewen could be seen as someone who has very high care needs, but in reality he wants the same as the rest of us - people who love and care for him and who can enjoy with him all the many things that give him pleasure.
Each weekend he scoots around Perth in his powered chair investigating what changes have taken place since his last visit. Whether it's a new building rising up or an old one being renovated, or a shop changing hands, Ewen is the first to know about it.
With the support of his now well established Circle, Ewe has a series of goals, hopes and dreams that he is currently focussing on. One of these dreams is to move out of the residential unit that he's been in for a number of years now and into his own home within Perth or its surrounding areas. Another is to use his well developed computer skills to find some employment. Though he now has a very well established Circle of Support this doesn't stop him seeking new acquaintances and building new friendships regularly.
Ewen is a great connector and loves to pass on information and share what's been going on with his friends. Circle members say that you never leave his house without feeling welcomed, informed, relaxed and refreshed. Recently his Community Connector has helped him set up something new and existing using his interest in computers. Together they are piloting a social networking tool call Tyze that safely lets Ewen and all the Circle members share what they are doing and keep in touch with each other.