Each participant works with core staff to populate their timetable on a weekly basis with activities, courses, appointments etc. that support their identified career plan and build in skills that will support them to the follow through on agreed tasks. The participant is required to email their timetable to the programme manager. It is the participant who decides how can I best make use of my time and work on my identified goals; manage and schedule appointments and decide on goals and tasks

For the above to work effectively, the approach requires the participant to learn across a range of skills (research, communication, digital technology) and take responsibility for the completion of agreed tasks and actions. This approach is imbedded into our Future Options process based on our Work In, Work Through and Work Out Stages correlating to Assessment Phase (Work In)– getting to know your values, beliefs and recognising skills through use of career portal, workshops on soft skill development , work place tours, general work experience; Research and testing Phase (Work Through) – identification of aligned courses, research and investigation into career options, mentoring support, more specific work experience and for longer phases, going out into community more which might include volunteerism; Work Out – exiting phase specialised courses, longer-term work experience, career coaching (examples include E-mentoring support with Deloitte which has now progressed to specialised work experience in the payroll section of Deloitte, one-off bespoke mentoring support in business set up and management through EIR)

We have encouraged the sharing of skills at peer level within the participant group on a one to one and group level in a number of programmes that have been piloted and are current. Examples are Missing Ingredients Programme which was designed and facilitated by an ex-participant the focus of this was on the development of communication skills, decision making and research through cooking; skill exchange sessions and mentoring support to include literacy support and study skills. Some of this approach has been used to mentor peers in the community through engagement in Smart Recovery.

We are currently running a Smart Recovery weekly programme. This a peer-led scientific recovery model based on the principles of CBT, REBT and Motivational Interviewing. The programme places emphasis on self- responsibility, social interest, tolerance and commitment. As the group develops it will become self-perpetuating in that group members will train in Smart techniques to be able to establish community-based Smart Recovery meetings. To date one participant has successfully completed the training and is now sharing their skills with a local organisation.

such as the Living History Project allowed us to apply the PBL techniques to our Literacy Programme. This culminated in our group agreeing the subject matter, researching, applying the learning to group discussion, power point presentation, creating and organising and running a “guided tour “including production of brochures for all group members.

Balance for Better Programme for International Women’s Day: Creating a visual and audio exhibition on Gender Inequality and hosting this in Ballyfermot Library and a local Conference.

The days are planned and run out using the PBL principles to include allocation of roles, completion of tasks, communication at team level, budgeting and use of digital technology where applicable

We believe that this approach is an effective working methodology in proactively addressing the holistic needs of our participant group in that it promotes challenging ways of thinking, encouraging ownership of the outcome of interventions, promotion of peer to peer learning and support, becoming independent of services and promoting volunteerism and a giving back to community.