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Creative clubs

*These groups are nearly full. If you are interested, please send your expression of interest to katie@neondaisy.org.uk asap and we'll respond to you with more information*

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Gentle mentoring and neuro-affirmative creative groups for neurodivergent girls and young people who are gender non-conforming. It's for young people living in Bristol and aged between 11-16.

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​Our creative clubs are  for neurodivergent girls and young people who are gender non-conforming (includes those who identify as non-binary / trans / genderqueer etc). It's for young people living in Bristol.

It’s a combination of light-touch mentoring from an autistic adult plus time hanging out doing creative activities indoors with other young people, mentors and art facilitators to just 'be'.

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Through the club, we're aiming to re-build the wellbeing of neurodivergent young people who want to spend more time outside their home but find it difficult because of anxiety.

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About the programme

It will start with some gentle, low-pressure relationship and trust building between mentors and young people on a remote basis (eg online messaging, letters and craft packs). This will happen start from September 2024.

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That's followed by 12 weekly creative sessions with their mentor, facilitators and other young people, including:

• Familiarisation session in  the space with parents

• 12 x two-hour creative sessions in a Bristol location throughout term time from November 2024 (exact dates and location tbc).

• Total group size: up to 8 young people plus 4-5 experienced group facilitators  and autistic mentors

• Young person-led, creative activities as per their interests, eg making slime, zines, jewellery, drawing and crafting, board games, music... whatever takes their fancy!

• We will be running two groups, and allocating spaces as per the most appropriate combination of ages and interests.

• You can drop your child off but there will be space for parents to stay nearby if you need to be on hand or want to meet other parents.

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Who are the creative clubs for?

Girls and young people who are gender non-conforming (includes those who identify as non-binary / trans / genderqueer etc) who:

• Are aged 11 to 16  on 1 September 2024.

• Live in the City of Bristol (the area covered by Bristol City Council)

• Are very likely to be autistic although may not necessarily have a diagnosis.

• Feel socially isolated and find it hard to get out and about - but would really like this to change.

• Are unable to attend school full time because of their anxiety (ie attendance is lower than 95%).

• Know they are/may be autistic so everyone in the group is comfortable discussing it, if they want to.​

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The club is free of charge. It's funded by the Department for Education with Bristol City Council; it's for young people who do not attend school full time due to anxiety – their attendance will be lower than 95%.

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Who isn't it for?

• People with complex mental health needs

• People requiring one to one care and/or personal care

• Families who already access any support provided by Bristol City Council Short Breaks team

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When is it running?

The group will include up to 8 young people. The mentoring element will run for about a month before and a month after the 12 creative group sessions.

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Who can refer?

• Parent/carers and the young person

• Parent/carer advocates

• Education professionals

• Community groups

• Health and social care professionals

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Who's funding the creative clubs?

The club is funded by the Department for Education through Bristol City Council. It's part of a wider project called 'Pathways to Short Breaks', which offers a range of support to children and young people, including other new community groups along with the with our creative clubs which your young person might be in. 

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How to refer

Please note that this programme is only for young people who are unable to attend school full time due to anxiety, ie their attendance will be lower than 95%. Please keep this in mind when completing the school attendance section of the referral form.

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Please fill out the Pathways to Short Breaks form here. All referrals will be reviewed by the Pathways  project team to ensure fair access. We do have very limited spaces but will allocate support fairly based on the criteria outline above. We'll get back to you with an update on your referral as soon as we can.

Please complete a referral form here by 8 July. We'll get back to you with more information about next steps as soon as we can. 

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For more information please contact amber@neondaisy.org.uk