What we aim to achieve
• We aim to demonstrate the unconditional love of God for all human beings.
• We aim to create a safe, social space that is held by the neurodiverse teens who choose to
participate but remains accessible to any age-relevant individuals who wish to take part.
• We aim to welcome persons of all persuasions to come as they are, regardless of their sexual orientation, philosophy or faith/no-faith traditions. We only ask that you remain curious enough to ask or think about questions, and either contribute to respectful discussion, or just hear from others and ponder the big questions for yourself.
• You don’t have to speak to participate!
• We aim to create opportunities for teen participants to connect, interact and form caring and supportive friendships over time.
What we do not aim to do
• We do not aim to indoctrinate.
- In other words, we do not ask anyone to uncritically accept a set of beliefs.
• We do not aim to make this another social skills group that places the burden of interaction on the neurodiverse participants.
- There is no pressure to conform and neurotypical participants are expected to adapt and act accordingly.
• We do not aim to create a Support Group in the traditional sense.
- We do aim to foster supportive and caring relationships, and encourage participants to share their experiences, problems and coping strategies with one another if and when they wish to do so, but we are not equipped to deliver therapeutic advice or offer professional guidance.
• We are not equipped or staffed to offer a parent/carer respite service.
- We recognise time is precious to our parents and carers, but we want our teen participants to have a personal desire to be present, even if they are not initially comfortable with active participation. We will offer a Hover Zone for parents and carers to remain accessible (at least initially), but still allow their teen to participate on their own.