Eden Equips
Welcome to Eden Equips, the podcast that shares real stories and practical tools to help parents, carers, and educators feel equipped for the journey of raising and supporting neurodivergent children and young people.
Eden Equips
Episode 020 with Eden McRoberts
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
In this episode, Rebecca chats with Eden about growing up with a sibling with additional needs, her journey through specialist teaching, teacher burnout, and why she's passionate about creating better opportunities for neurodivergent young people and adults.
A really honest conversation about inclusion, connection, and the incredible things we can learn from neurodivergent people. 💙
Welcome to Eating Equips, the podcast that shares real stories, practical tools to help parents, carers, educators feel equipped for the journey, raising supporting neurodivergent children and young people. Whether you are tuning in with a cup of coffee, you're in the car, or you have a precious quiet moment, I am so glad you're here. I'm Rebecca, and today we are joined by my wonderful dear friend Eden. Many of you who've followed us for a long time will recognize Eden and have met Eden at various points. Um, as Eden has been with us at Eden Consultancy kind of during your teacher training days and your first year of teaching. Eden has such a big heart for those with additional needs. Her journey has been a personal one that's led um into loads of different routes, actually, creating youth club for teens with additional needs, becoming a qualified specialist teacher, teaching children, young people with complex needs, and now stepping into a new role of supporting young adults. Eden, I'm delighted you're here with us today. I feel like we're playing pretend with us today. I'm really excited for everyone to hear your story and just hear a little bit more from you as well. I think even in that intro, or if anyone's ever met you, whether that's in your work life or professional life, they will immediately be able to catch that you've got such a big heart for children and young people with um any form of differing or additional needs. Where's that love and passion come from? Where did it begin for you?
SPEAKER_02Um it began when I was eight. My um brother was born with Down syndrome, um, and I didn't really have any concept before that. I think well I imagine I went to primary school, there was probably young people with me, right? Maybe undiagnosed or not, but I didn't have any idea when c when Carter was born. I remember being like, What is that? I'd never heard the word Down syndrome before. Yeah, was very confused at what that meant for him. You know, I like I I asked my dad, will he walk? Will he talk? Like, will he I remember thinking silly things like will he play football? Like all the things I thought my brother when I'd pictured my brother, I was like, Oh, he's not gonna maybe he's not gonna be that like that anymore. Right. Um and mum and dad didn't know either, like they didn't have a great understanding, but just were kind of like no he's your brother, and so I then loved like looking after him, like he was like my doll, you know. Um and he had like quite met like complex medical stuff, like holes in his heart, and had peg feeds in the nasal tube. And I loved like doing all that with my dad, like looking after him, putting his feet on, and like his o when his oxygen dropped. Mum said it was always like me in the other room being like Mum, I'm gonna turn his oxygen up and like sorting him out. And I think then just slowly, or like there's videos of me, you know, when he's like walking and I'm like Mum, he's walking, you know. I was like so happy and excited to like see his progress. And I think then just from that, I I it took me a while to realise like oh I want a career in this. I think I was probably like it was it was really when I was starting to think of careers when I was like 15. I was like, actually, I think it's gonna be special needs that I want to do. It was the only thing I really was like, oh, I feel like I could be good at that, you know. Um and I think teaching was the only one I really knew about. I think actually if I look back, I could have done I would have loved physio or speech, or like there's so many, there's actually so many fields now that you can like so many, but um teaching was the one that I was like, you know what? Yeah, I'll go down that route.
SPEAKER_00Um I love that, and I think even to hear that so many will probably relate to that in that personal kind of aspect of it, of it naturally becoming a part of who you are as well. Um and I think also really beautiful to highlight that um natural because I'm thinking of parents who are maybe listening, there's natural questions from a sibling as well about yeah, their sibling who has different needs and being able to understand, but like then being able to then grow into like this incredibly empathetic heart for and opening your eyes. Like I know you do talk about that a lot about how your brothers opened your eyes to a different universe, like a different world.
SPEAKER_02Even like his then him going to special school and like being around his friends, and I did work experience in his school and stuff. That um even like learning that you know Carter Down syndrome is a spectrum, like it's a spectrum. Yeah, I think I thought like this is what kids with Down syndrome present as, yeah, you know, um, and then learning very quickly, oh like no, there's a scale here as well. Yeah, um, because you know, with all Carter's Carter wouldn't really have any complex behavioural difficulties or annoy his he's not got any medical needs annoyed, all that I had to learn through my own experience. But for him, for just the like general, you know, understanding and uh yeah, the empathy and like just realising how fun this that world was, I think, is what opened up for me.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. A bit off piece maybe in what we were going for, and we'll just like briefly go down this, but I'm just even thinking loads of conversations even recently I've been having around like siblings. Would you have anything to like encourage siblings of anybody who has like any form of additional needs?
SPEAKER_02Like I think how it's been there's obviously that like thing online of like the glass child, isn't it? That like thing of like the other child is like maybe not seen as much because their sibling with special needs really seen. And I think actually it's trying to embrace the other side of that of just being like, no, they're just my sibling. Like you don't have to see them as like I've never I never treated Carter like he had Down syndrome. I've never treated him like I still make fun of him. Oh it's a true brother-sister relationship, I still seem to be like, Yeah, I still will just be like Carter, you know, why is up, yeah, yeah. Don't do that, or like I I like and some of you all sometimes are like you can't speak to him like that. You're like, I can't, he's my brother. Right. Um I think it's just like and I know everyone's relationships are different. I know Carter doesn't present as everybody else would, but I think it's just being like embracing like you know, he's my they're my sibling, like you don't have to treat them as if they are like you know, uh to treat them as if they're different, but you know, treat them as if you are separate entities, like you are like a different child. I always just treated Carter as if Will this is my brother and this is who he is. And I think if you're a sibling, it's also then you know, maybe if you are feeling like that, it's being open with your parents. Like my mum and dad were always very like supportive to me and my sister always made sure that we were seen and that they knew that we we knew that, but being open with people or like making sure like if you are finding it overwhelming in your house, like I know there is some days, even if I was working in quite an intense environment, if I came home and like a carter was never really in a bad mood, but he was in a bad mood, I'd be like, great, I need to take some time here because actually it's hard when it's every it's everywhere sometimes. Um so just knowing kind of what it what space you need, I think it's okay to be like, you know, my family, I need a bit of space sometimes. Boundaries in that too.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, no, I love that. Um you spoke there about teaching that you kind of like jumped into that, and that was the journey you kind of ended up on, and that's been your journey up until really, really recently is being teaching. And um we we talk a lot in this podcast about schools and the tension often around them for parents and carers. Um, as a teacher, I know you've experienced so much and seen stories from loads of different perspectives. And I'd love to start maybe what what were some of your favourite things about teaching young people with additional needs? What what part of it did you love?
SPEAKER_02Um so much of it. I loved, I actually do miss like the really fun side of teaching. I loved like the creative side of special teaching that it wasn't like so rigid with your workbooks and your, you know, like all these real I loved like I love attention autism, I loved like sensory stories and finding really niche things of teaching. I loved that. I loved when it was like you know, you worked on something for ages and then one day it clicked that kind of real moment of progress that was so slow, or like maybe no one else would notice it, but like the victory that me and my staff team would feel was just like so amazing. I miss I miss that a lot. I miss also the like feeling of you know, seeing a young person kind of being like, you know, something's going on there, they're maybe disregulated, something's changed, and then working that out and being able to support them, being like, Oh, that was what it was, and you were telling me that, yeah, and like that real moment of like connection and trust I think you agree in with like a young person. I love that. I love that like like I've got you now, you know, I know what you're thinking. It's like as if you've read their mind and then they see it, then you can see it in their face, like, oh yeah, I know what I'm trusted adult now. And yeah, I love that, yeah, and I find that so like I don't like the word rewarding because I don't think you know I don't want to do it. I I don't work with uh people especially just because it's rewarding for me. Yes, I hear that. No, that's not the reason, but actually there's a yes, that's what it is, it's a privilege and it's like a victory. It's like I felt oh like I've understood you, yeah, and I can see the relief on their face that like that's what I was asking for, right?
SPEAKER_00You know, I loved that. And I know though in that journey, especially so like when we first even like personally, I think when we first met, you were starting or in the midst of like teacher training, like um in that, and I know that journey for you was full of quite a lot of contention, yeah, based upon the quality of some of that stuff. Um, and I think that's really important to highlight in terms of teacher like training, yeah. Um, and I don't even just mean like, oh, I'm getting, but like early, like I'm a trainee teacher. What input am I actually getting? How did you find that experience? I forgot.
SPEAKER_02Like when my in my teaching interview, I said the question then, I was like, I want to be a special needs teacher. And like, how do I what's your course for that? And it was, you know, it's a primary course, but there'll be special needs uh weaved in. And honestly, like I know if I hadn't been doing my own stuff in the background that there was a real lack or just repetitiveness. I mean, really, it was just like here's what, here's special need, here's autism, and this is ADHD, and this is Down syndrome, and this is you know, just facts, and it's then you were given the choice to do the um replacement, like the module, if you wanted. So I think out of like 90 or however many there were in my year, there was like 19 of us did that. And I was very frustrated at even comments from peers. People here now probably are teachers, would be like, Oh, that's just it's amazing that you want to do that, that's just not for me. I remember this, it's just not for me. And I hate that comment, I hate it because like what do you mean it's not for you? You know, you can't we can't say that anymore if we're teachers, and it's not this whole this whole group of people are not for you. Yeah. When you're like in a mainstream classroom where they're gonna be there, you know. Yeah, you can't pick and choose your pupils. And obviously, we know now, even more so, like over subscription of special skills, that they're they're given no choice. A lot of young people who should be maybe in a special school setting or whatever that looks like, or just in mainstream. And so I remember being like, it's mad to me that yeah, all of us aren't going through this because you'll yeah, you've got or even the fact that like a lot of the special provision, like attention autism or sensory stories, like actually maybe young people who aren't on spectrum haven't got like any additional needs, they also will learn so well through those amazing activities.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, so actually they're they're valuable for both, like it doesn't have to be like the separate thing, teaching, yeah, yeah, and even all that like different ways of teaching emotions and communication and things like that, and I think even being able to be aware of the fact that that in and amongst of like four teachers everywhere, like trainee teachers, actually changing, and who knows, maybe in a few years it has or whatever, but like being able to just be like everyone needs to know this, everyone needs to understand this as part of teaching, and this is a really, really important part of that. I think one of my favorite quotes at the minute, just even thinking about that linking, is a quote um that goes disability and neurodivergence is a teacher, um, it disrupts our conventional view of what is considered normal or the right way to be. It is a rich and fertile ground in which you can cultivate the desire and understanding of a difference rather than eliminate it. That is like really challenged me recently. I've been like, it is a teacher, like you will learn so much, and other people will learn, other young people as well. Have there been key things that you think I have been taught so much by these young people?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I think for me it's that like slow, like not everything has to be rushed. I think I take that so much in now, probably not as well as I should, but you know, I learned so much in my teaching of things don't have to be taught overnight. You know, this was like some of my pupils from September to June, it was like the smallest change, but like it was so impactful to them. Big wins and to realise that like okay, you know, solutions don't have to be given overnight, or even for my own patience. I think I'm not very patient probably in like my other outside of life, but in my that sector of my work, like you're being taught to be to be taught to be patient and just sometimes you know, if a young person is lying on the floor and they don't want to get up, okay, I'm gonna lie beside you and we're gonna just wait it out here, you know, and actually to not feel frustrated at that and not feel like rushed in life. Right. I think I find like real beauty in that of or like just appreciating those small moments. I love how I and obviously when it's dysregulation, it's not great, but when it's like big emotions in terms of like showing so much excitement, yeah, like my brother does not shy away from like showing those big emotions and like really like he's not ashamed to be like clapping his hands and like rubbing his hands together when he's really and we all like joke in his family our family now like when he's excited, we'll like also be like, Oh I can clap around that he like like is not he's not afraid of being like oh that's so embarrassing, like that I show so much excitement over that. Like I I love that I love that yeah, just embrace that joy so much, um, and like yeah, I just always find that you know obviously then you feel the big emotions of like that on the other side that are like hurting them, yeah. The the like side of you know joy and laughter, and like they even you know when you've like that hysterical people, he's like running around the classroom and you're like you're doing my head in, like you're going to be sitting down, but they're like laughing their head off, right?
SPEAKER_01Like, and it's just like you're having so much fun and you're not afraid to like it.
SPEAKER_00And I think it is that it's the purity of it, isn't it? Like I love that I especially like for me in that in teaching, like that was one of the biggest things, like pure joy. Yeah, you know, there were oh my gosh, there were so many silliness of like silliness. I think I remember once, I don't know why this is such a core memory for me, but with my key stage one class, and we were trying to teach um 3D shapes, and we were doing like a feely bag, you know, so like you come up and try and feel what the shape might be and whatever. Um and then one of the individuals pulled out like a cone, um one of the cone shapes, like a circular bass cone or whatever it was, and he was just like, I just remember him going, a party at this and honestly, all the kids thought it was the best thing because they all wanted to try it on. They were singing happy birthday to each other, and I don't know why, but like it got to me so much. I just remember tears flowing down my face. Like I completely so dysregulated because we're all just like laughing, and then the kids see you laugh and they're laughing. But I remember then even on a course I was doing, like one of my therapeutic courses around like you know, the the chemicals released and like joy and how important that is for your brain, and like how why so many of core memories are like joyful memories. That and then I remember like silly moments happening that like but my my kids remembered those moments more than I remember one of my boys was being interviewed. This was wild, like I was so nervous this happening. Maybe like a year or two later, he was being interviewed by the radio and they asked, like, what's your favorite thing about school? And you know, you're like, Yeah, no idea what you're gonna say. And he said, I loved learning about the party hats, yeah. And I was like, Oh, and I explained, I was like, Oh, we really love like do lots of fun things when we're learning about shapes and stuff, but I knew what he actually meant. I was like, I now remember a core memory where we were all like laughing, yeah, so happy together, yeah, and like I just think, isn't that just so beautiful? There is that purity, but I think the reality is teaching is really hard. Um, the pressure's immense. Um, my principal said to me once that, or uh principal sorry, said to me once, teaching teaching in a specialist setting for a year is equivalent to five years in a mainstream setting. Um, people often think specialist easier, you've got less kids. I remember when I was teaching, people would be like, Oh, we've only got oh you've only got 10 kids. Oh yeah, I love to have only 10 kids in my class. The reality of that is it's yeah, incredibly different. Um, what were some of those biggest challenges? It's such a big part of the story, isn't it?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I think for me, probably that one of well, like I had six pupils um recently, and you know, people would always think, Oh my gosh, sex and I'd like to have five staff and me. So six staff. So then people were like, oh, you know, and you're like, Yeah, we're not, yeah. Sorry, we pictures painted there, yeah. It's not, and even at that, like most of them they were all one-to-one. And so actually I was understaffed because then I was a one one-to-one. I wasn't a teacher anymore. Yeah. It was very difficult to get teaching done because you couldn't, you know, you felt like you were you felt like you were always a failure. I felt like I was always feeling just because no matter what your day looked like, you weren't there was only some pupils you were getting to, and even at that you were never teaching them at the level that you could you thought you could push them to because something else was then going on that you'd have to rush to, or you know, there was days that you know all my pupils were just left with my sta staff and I was with one pupil all day, just trying to support them and like staff actually go to different places, all those resources. I find that very difficult. I know management and stuff are having the same issues. So 100% is a good idea. It's like it's a it's a result, it's not something that can be solved by really it feels like anyone at this point. Like it's very, it's very difficult to feel supported, I think. Um and I felt just so like yeah, just like that failure of even though I knew like I knew I was a good teacher, like I know I'm a good teacher, and and the year before years before that I'd felt that um and felt that I supported people really well. It's just then I think I kind of got into this feeling of like, oh gosh, you know, this is just gonna be a year in, you're right, you're removed to a new class, you're giving new staff, you're giving new kids, and then you're like you're so limited in resources, and I just felt like I was like, I'm not I don't even feel like I'm making any kind of impact here because it's just me like fighting to get anywhere. Surviving. Yeah, it was survival, it was, and like I loved it was hot, it's hard to step away from it because I like I love the young people. Loved the staff that I worked with, loved all of that. I just was it's kind of that feeling of yeah, you just felt like you were I felt like I was like scrambling to breathe all the time, uh, crying all the time when I got home, feeling so burnt out, and you know, I'm only 26, so even that like feeling of yeah, how long, you know, I kept being like, Oh, I'll get to 30, right? I'll get to 30 and I'll just keep teaching. And you're kind of like, Why would I do that?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and I think it's really important, like, thank you for sharing that even because I was really vulnerable to share too. But like for other teachers, I think also for parents to hear this too that you know, this none of this is easy. No, and the reality is you can meet the best, most incredible teacher who understands young people deeply, but within the system that is incredibly broken right now and the pressure that that then puts upon. And you're right, it's not that you're turning around and being like management X, Y, Z, you're like, this is a systematical issue here of where we need, you know, staff coming in, multitudes, because you need your you need backups and reserves and all of that. Yeah, yeah. You're barely getting like a one person in that whole thing. Is it then like the school system changes slightly in terms of like you get a class, you stick with the class, and that's your class, you know that you can be guaranteed certain things and helping with that. But I think the reality is like, and we we know this statistically of like high of like burnout of young teachers at the minute of coming, and we don't want that, like that the reality is we need goods. No, I and I loved being like those days when I came out.
SPEAKER_02I mean, like I love teaching, I love like all those things I sp said about.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I loved it, and then but then there was too many days where it was like this is like you feel you know, and then you don't want to feel that towards the young people, you don't want to feel that and I think also part of your journey was also you always wanted to teaching was like a stepping stone for you that you were like, I know there's something else that I want to really support young people with, and I think I'd love to hear that because I feel like that's where you've stepped into a wee bit now, so it's not that and like again, even like fair play to it of not like reaching and being aware of yourself that you don't reach that point of burnout, that then you're not able to then step in and do the thing you love because you love this. Um talk to me about your what you're doing now. I I see such an alignment with your heart with what you've stepped into. I mentioned that youth club that you'd set up a few years ago, Capernaum, where you're supporting um you've put on a provision for um kind of older young people like teen teenage, yeah. Um, and which I'd love to talk about if we've got time, but now you're supporting young adults. Tell me a wee bit about that. What's that like?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, so I started I started working for a company called Sand House um four months ago now, which is crazy. Yeah. Um and so Sand House is for yeah, young adults, or adults really, um, with learning disabilities that um are just supported for their day opportunity service. So it's Monday to Thursday, yeah, and they come in for Nine to three um every day, and it's just about really placing the value of them in the community, like they're they're indispensable to our community, and the belief that you know they hold so much value, and um we want to give them like a really holistic kind of opportunity for them to be in those places and do the things that they really enjoy as well, um, which is so important, I think. So yeah, I just I love it honestly.
SPEAKER_00Just and it feels really timely because of what's been talked about a lot currently, and I'm sure even when this podcast airs, this will still be ongoing of like post school school.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, and I think for me, because my brother's 18, yeah. So he's leaving school next year, and I already in the back of my head was kind of thinking that like idea of you know, where should he go, where will he go? Is there many opportunities? Yeah, where where like do I want him just to like tech's amazing? But that's um for a while I felt like that was the only option. Okay, okay. Um, and I think maybe he will go down that route, maybe he won't. Um, but then like all these there's a few day opportunities that popped up, sound house being one of them, um, and then now working for them. It's just yeah, it's just amazing to feel all those like feelings of supporting again without the immense paperwork and the immense like fear as well, like the or like just feeling like so much responsibility was on your shoulders, actually just get and have fun. And um, I really love I think I've realized with Capernaum um and then with teaching what I love was the relationship side, like I loved building a trust and a bond with young people, um, more so probably than the like paperwork side of teaching them maths. Like I just realized that I was like, I don't actually I want to sit down and talk to them about their weekend and you know, like have a chat with them when they're struggling about things, and you know, it's yeah, it's just like really and I think that's really important to note as well, yeah.
SPEAKER_00You know, because there will be people and teachers listening that love all of that side of it, and I remember because I was very similar in terms of I entered teaching knowing I didn't want to stay there, but I didn't know where I was gonna go, and I loved it so much. I loved my young people that I taught, like they're forever in my heart. Um, but I remember a really clear moment where there was a certain situation happening, and I I had I had worked so hard at this connection with one of my older young people, and they were sharing something incredibly important um and vulnerable about something, and we were like sitting on the ground together, she was sharing a lot of this information, and someone interrupted me and been like, Rebecca, you're class waiting for you to for maths, and I was like, Screw this, yeah. I don't care actually, I do not care about teaching maths right now, and actually for my young people of where they all were at collectively at that point in the year, maths was more important, you know. There were certain things. Yes, it would be like you were told why have you not got that done. Why have we not got that done and their evidence for learning and what about it, yeah. Right, and I understand that systematically, and the school I was in was incredible with that of like really honouring connection-based stuff. But I was the same, I was very much like, no, like these I just want to be able to create something where the young people are the focus of this, and then and also be able to like support those to understand that connection is key.
SPEAKER_02Like, if you get that, yeah, you can eventually get everything else too. Yeah, and even like at that, like you know, there's still I feel like I still am teaching, like in small moments, or like 100%, you know, when some of our own people volunteer in a charity shop, so when I'm with them doing that, like there's moments of teaching there that because I need they need support in the community, yeah, yeah, yeah. Um and I'm like, no, I'm still doing it, it's just without all those like yeah, hard moments in between it almost make you lose the value of what you're doing, you know.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I completely I completely hear that. And I think I I'm thinking if I'm a if I'm a young person, maybe, because I'm hearing this, I had a conversation with some young people recently, like 18-year-old girls, and they were talking about what they're gonna do at uni, and they kind of were like interested in early years and things like that. If I'm a young person and I've thought about wanting to step into supporting children, young people with differing needs, how do I do that? Like, where's a good place to start? Like, how did you get because you said you're really young, you're 26, and you have a wealth of experience that people who I meet who are in their 50s don't even have. How do I get that? Such intense experience. I think an authentic experience too.
SPEAKER_02I think it's just looking like I always did, you know, like the work, like I said, work experience, also summer schemes in special skills. Like I signed up for years for them. Um even though you really don't want it's in the height of summer, it's the last place you kind of sometimes want to be. But actually, it's so because that's like the fun week. Yeah, it's like new teaching, it's like the best fun. What like if it's a nice week, water sports, like they just have the best time, and there's a little connection there, isn't it? And I think it's just looking for pockets of that kind of everywhere, and also just more leaning into like I find even when I was doing you know mainstream youth, if I saw someone maybe sitting outside as a grip and thought, my what like I wonder if something's you know, maybe they're feeling it's around just sitting beside them, just like looking for maybe those people here are a bit more on the outskirts of things and trying to bring them, yeah, try seeing like how can I support them? Curiosity, yeah, without actually yeah, without it having to be like I sign up for this thing, it's just like yeah, just looking around you and kind of being like, How can I learn from the environments I'm already in, but also I think definitely pursuing volunteering.
SPEAKER_00I think volunteering that in your life a lot, like you volunteer so much, and then what I've loved is that with Capernaum you then took in others and were like, here's an opportunity to learn and be your eyes and so be open to the most incredible world.
SPEAKER_02And like so many of my leaders never, yes, never explore because that's a big fear for people that oh I don't know what I don't know. So many, oh that's not for me, it's that always that's not for me. Yeah, I'm like, no, but like could like and then they're hit there and they're like, This is so fun, because actually you're treated like a seleb. They all love, they love a new leader. Like my brother and all be c coming in, all right, bro, you know. It's all like they love that, and it's actually like, Oh, flip, like this is this is okay, like I'm like, yeah, it is like it's so much fun. And all of my leaders I feel like have had that, like and some of them are teachers of mainstream, and they're like, Oh, it's so much, you know, I'm able to take so much now into my work, and so it's so important, even if you're not it doesn't have to be your work, like it doesn't have to be your primary work, but to even have that, you know, to be something small that you're volunteering in, I think is so important just to keep learning and keep you know, and I'm always learning as well, in that like a new young person comes along, you're like, Okay, this is completely new, like we'll have to work this out.
SPEAKER_00Not being not being scared of that, but to lean into the unknown and be like, okay, I'm gonna learn and I'm gonna grow here. So fun, like I love it. Absolutely, and I think volunteering in as many different sectors and things that you want. Like, I did work and like when I was 18, 19, like I I went, I was volunteering and working with like music therapists and all of that because I loved music, art therapy, art, yeah, there's just so many things, and I was able to I think then I was able to understand all the different sectors, like you said, that there were possibilities of um and I would do a lot of volunteer work with like youth, yeah. Then I ended up going out and working in like Romania for summers and being able to support young people in different countries as well with differing needs, and I think it's that whole thing that if you if you want to do it, there's definite ways, but you have to nearly think maybe outside the box a wee bit. But volunteering, I think you're right, summer schemes, things like that, like really just looking for those, looking for opportunities and follow. I think now like it would be so like it was very different for me. Um, I think in the era of like just when I was that age, social media wasn't as much of a thing, you couldn't find people doing these kind of careers, but like I think it's so exciting now being able to see like even talking to my sister, and she's like, she keeps joking, she's like, I know, I'll be working for you. Like, she's training as a dietitian, and I'm like, but yeah, like I love that she can see there's different possibilities rather than I have to go and work in a hospital.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00That she's like, I'd love to work with young people who have like a complex relationship with food for a wide variety of reasons, and I think it's just I think also to encourage young people of like we need you, like we need people who have a heart for this. That's what it's missing in a lot of places, correct. And like I think even when we talk about staffing and things like that, we're missing people who have heart, yeah, and who've had heart from early on. Yeah, you can teach, but I think in recent experiences for myself, is one thing you can't teach. Is that true? I think it is. One thing you can't teach is heart. I will meet people and they have the biggest hearts, and they go to me, I have no idea what I'm doing here, but I care. Yes, great. All you need with fantastic place to start. And like probably with a lot of your compartment volunteers, that's the same. Like hearts, no idea, nearly until you're training them and teaching them and they're coming in and learning. Yeah, and that's that's so beautiful, actually, rather than something to fear. And you've seen those with your volunteers because they're incredible. Like I've been there and they're all amazing, and you would never know that they have had years of experience working with young people with different needs. Actually, yeah, so good. I think that's no, I think that is an important thing to do as well. I think just to round off, I'm such a believer that we can learn so much from neurodivergent children, young people. Um, what's one of your biggest hopes for the future here in Northern Ireland? People with different needs in any form, whether that's additional.
SPEAKER_02I think just that we like open the world a bit more to them, especially I think now working in Zendhouse and seeing Carter, you know, like that him going into the world, like we're gonna it's scary like being like a pay you're you know, 18 or 19 when you leave school, you've got your whole adult life, yeah. How much of that how much opportunity are you gonna get in that space? And I think we are starting to see that. Obviously, like we said, loads of opportunities are opening up, yeah. But I think of some of the people I've taught in school who haven't got that maybe same ability or same have got complex behaviour difficulties or complex medical needs, and I looked and I go, Where are you going? Where are you going? And that broke my heart. Like leaving, I was like, that where do they like where do they go? You know, and for a parent, I can't imagine that fear of where do they go? And I think it's something that I'm always thinking of now, you know, what what is gonna open up here for them, not just like a home, like you know, or in or some kind of room that they're just gonna have to sit in, you know. Like you'd said before, or yeah, valuable parts of society that we need. Yeah. So it needs to be more, I think, and that's why like I love now working, like I said, for Cent House and working in that field because I feel like I get more an insight into it, but actually that more places open up for not just the ones who can, you know, work in a charity shop and volunteer for the pupils who need still need those sensory stories at 25, you know. Yeah, yeah, still need like all those amazing interactions, of interaction with an an adult who they love. Yeah, all those things. That's something that it's just been recently I've kind of been thinking about, yeah. Looking at Northern Ireland and you know, still thinking about how much we need to grow in that area. I think it's just something that I would be curious about. I love that, Aidan.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, love that. Um, okay, time for quick equip to kind of round us off. Um, is there a tool or resource that you love?
SPEAKER_02Um, I love widget, obviously, for Capernaum for the our visuals. Yes, great. And I love for teaching, I loved it. It was a thing called sensory sip. Okay. You've not heard of it, no? I don't know if I have, no. It's like a it's like a five pound a month, but it gives you loads of sensory ideas of like sensory massage, play, stories. You just download and you get five downloads a month or something. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Um and then you just download it and it gave you everything. Yeah, it's called sensory sip. And if you're like thinking of a story, I can't think of one. Yeah. It was my saviour, honestly.
SPEAKER_00Because it's so fun being creative, but sometimes you're too tired.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Like we bothered making the story in the sensory story. Like I'm like playing. So it was good because it gave you a level. Um a mindset helps with you.
SPEAKER_02Um I think probably being off that comment of like it's not for me. I think just like always is that openness. Like you have to be just open, yeah, it's really good. And not not just being so stuck in our own box.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and shut down and say, Oh, I get it.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, it's not, you know, because yeah, it's just not. I don't think we have the right to kind of say that kind of thing anymore. Yeah, it's a really good point either. Yeah, I think just being open. Yeah, so I think we have to just be like open. Yeah. And even, you know, for me having maybe more experience, like I always still have to be open. I can't, you know, I can't box up my own experience either. No, I love that.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. It's really I think that's a really, really important one. And I guess that probably links quite well into like that piece of advice.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. Yeah, just I think and I think that talking about that volunteer thing, I would always encourage people. I don't want to plug Capernaum. But I'm not gonna plug Capurnum. But um, you know, find something that like Yeah, find something you love. Yeah, or or if like I said, if you're in another section, if you're in another sector or like you're already doing a youth thing, just be more open to be like maybe you know that person who people make fun of, or like you see that they're oh they're weird, and you're like actually you know what they're not people just haven't spoken to them, right you know, and just be more supportive in that way, I think it's just you'll actually realize this is actually really fun, yeah.
SPEAKER_00And reaching out because there's loads of sectors which will happily take on volunteers. 100% within that. No, I love that, Ian. Ian, thank you so much. I think it's a beautiful journey and story, and I'm genuinely very excited for your future in your space here in Northern Ireland. I think you're gonna be one of the key people leading us on. I do, I always have since I met you, and I think we need young people who are and young adults who are fighting the way and paving the way. So people who are putting in the fights now that we can keep going with them and we can pick them up and continue on. That's it for today's episode. I hopefully there's something here today that's inspired you, reminds you you're not alone in this journey, and just really encouraged you as well. So, even thank you so much for being here tonight. Thanks for having me.