We are a forest school for neurodivergent adults in the Brighton area. We aim to provide therapeutic forest school sessions for self and formally diagnosed neurodivergent adults. The focus of sessions is on building a community of people with shared experiences, providing a choice of nature themed woodland based wellbeing activities, and facilitating a space where people can connect with nature, themselves, and each other. We respect participants' choice to engage as much or as little with what's on offer in whatever capacity they feel able. During sessions we enjoy a bit of play, learning about plants and animals, swinging in hammocks, having tea around the fire, making nature crafts, going on woodland walks, and sharing our experiences with each other.
We are so excited to receive this award and it will enable us to run quality weekly forest school sessions this summer. We plan to run two "courses" of 6 sessions this summer from June through August and this will allow us to cover our outstanding facilitator/staffing costs and run sessions that are low cost as well as have a number of free spaces. We are also discussing amongst directors about ringfencing some of the funding to cover some travel costs in order to increase our accessibility for participants who would otherwise struggle with transportation costs. We also have come up with some lovely ideas about embroidered patches and badges that participants can demonstrate skills and earn (in the style of Scouts) and any leftover funds would be used to develop the badges.
This funding will make a huge difference for a small organization like us. This funding will allow us to provide a good and affordable service for participants while keeping the organization sustainable. This funding will help us increase the accessibility for participants with mobility or other transport difficulties and make us an even more inclusive organization. This funding will also allow us to expand our ideas for the organization and work towards providing an enriching and meaningful experience with practical activities and goals that participants can work towards which will boost their confidence and sense of community.
One for All Forest School is a trauma informed and relationship based forest school for neurodivergent adults. We have a broad definition of neurodivergence and accept clinical and self-diagnosis and equally valid. We provide blocks of holistic sessions and workshops that support the development of social, physical, emotional, spiritual, intellectual, and communication skills. We aim to facilitate a community for local neurodivergent adults with a view to create a safe space for support, understanding and shared experiences. Some examples of activities include; making nature crafts, learning bush craft skills, outdoor cooking, eco-focused learning, self-regulation activities, foraging, developing social/communication skills with tea around the fire, and play. We aim to be as inclusive as possible. This grant will allow us to run weekly sessions over the summer and offer participants options of low cost and free spaces. We also hope to be able to use some of the funding to reimburse for travel costs for participants who may otherwise struggle to access the space. We are an organization run by and for neurodivergent adults. We have noticed a lack of opportunities for neurodivergent adults in the Brighton area to access activities and groups in a setting that is specifically tailored for our needs. We believe that One for All Forest School is unique (and much needed) in its aim to provide a therapeutic forest school experience for a growing population of adults who identify as neurodivergent.
Leah McComb, Founding Director
You can nominate this charity to win £1,000 with Movement for Good
