Mentoring
ASpire provides a trained, volunteer mentor who works with a person with Asperger syndrome. This is for a set period of time. We cannot meet the demand for our service and have a waiting list for support. Please contact us if you would like to refer someone for addition to this waiting list.
Individuals do not require a clinical diagnosis of Asperger syndrome or Autistic Spectrum Condition to access ASpire's services, but must accept that they are affected by this type of condition and be ready to work with a mentor.
The service-user (mentee) has meetings with their ASpire mentor, usually once each week, for about an hour. This can be at our office, but can be in a cafe or anywhere else that you feel comfortable to meet and talk.
A mentor is a mixture of a friend, a guide and sometimes a teacher - someone who supports the mentee to identify what they would like to change or achieve in their life and works with them in finding out how to make it happen for themselves.
The mentor does not do things for you, sort things out or tell you what to do. You work together to find ways for you to feel better about your life.
Paid-for Support
ASpire is currently working to capacity and has a waiting list of over 30 people, so are unable to currently support any new people through our voluntary activities.
We can offer a paid-for service which provides one-to-one mentoring support for those on individualised budgets or who have the capacity to pay. There is no waiting time for this service. The cost of this support is £40 per hour.
This does not affect the waiting time of those on the voluntary support list, but pays for additional staff hours, creating additional income for the project and enabling us to support more people on a voluntary basis.
Individualised Budgets
We can provide support for those with Personalised Budgets, in the form of mentoring or other social or practical support and assessments. Please contact us to discuss this further.
Wanted - Mentors
ASpire is always looking for committed people to train to become mentors to an adult with Asperger syndrome. We require a committment of around 6-8 hours per month, or more if you have the time. We will train you, support you and cover all travel and other expenses involved in your mentoring.
Please contact Sarah for more information and an informal chat.
Social Groups and Activities
ASpire also run a range of social and discussion groups and activities for adults with Asperger syndrome to broaden social contacts and encourage participation. The social group decides what to do and where to go for their meetings.
Previous events have included:
- Meals out - pizza, Chinese, Indian
- Social meetings in cafes
- Bowling
- Visiting the fair on Brighton Pier
- Quiz Nights
- Games Nights
Mentoring and group membership is provided free of charge (social activities need to be paid for), but currently only accessible to those living in or near Brighton and Hove, Sussex, UK.
A complete list of Social Group dates can be found on the News and Events page.
Asperger Syndrome counselling
ASpire does not have the capacity or funding to offer Asperger syndrome counselling. However, Su Orosa, is a trained counsellor who offers private Asperger syndrome counselling to individuals, couples and family members. A percentage of her counselling fee is donated to ASpire to further the activities of the project.
Please contact ASpire via email and we will pass your details on to Su. Further information on Su's experience can be found here.
Quotes from Aspire Case Studies
'I absolutely love how [my mentor] has been so kind to me. She has been my Guardian Angel. With her help I am learning lots of the little ways to be integrated in life.'
'Having someone to take an active interest in my specific case has helped me to tackle the confusing and hard-to-access support available'
'For the first time in years I have felt confident enough to make friends and whilst it is still hard for me, having the opportunity to meet with someone I trust regularly has helped me a great deal.'
'I encourage [my mentee] to use her creativity to work through any problems, difficulties or communication breakdowns she has and reduce large overwhelming problems into manageable bite-size ones.'
‘Just the socials and the chance to talk about things is very welcome.’
Sarah Hendrickx
Project Leader
01273 229009
sarah.hendrickx@bh-impetus.org
Dave Adams
Administrator
01273 725994
dave.adams@bh-impetus.org
Next Social Group:
ASpire Xmas Party
Thursday 8th December 2011
Friends and family welcome