Wednesday 10th October 2007, 20:50Residential, mad, sad or a new way to Improve Peoples Lives?Residential
Over the years we have offered residential inputs as part of a programme for our clients. When the government budgets tightened many years back they became a casualty of our menu of options. However, over the last few months I have had the chance to visit a few residential operations around the world which offer much more than a canoeing weekend of a rope ladder confidence building session.
I have been reminded of the power of taking people out of their day to day environment and submerging people in a new environment with 24*7 impacts. The residential I have looked at have been focused on the sort of soft skills development work we undertake everyday but set in this residential context they take on a much more powerful model. Bonding takes place between clients, peer mentors develop with real energy and balancing give/give understanding.
Many of the clients we are working with face many barriers to returning to work and for many of them one of the biggest barriers is the “rut” they feel they are in.
Is there a way in which we could secure funding to offer some of our hardest to help clients a residential context for part of their time with us, almost an intensive gateway period? I know it would be costly and it’s all been done before, and there are childcare issues and health and safety and and and and and and
But but but but, could we explore this aspect and maybe run a pilot, no canoeing, mountaineering, 20 mile hikes and bike rides to hell, but a sound, well thought through soft skills, personal, intensive residential period of reflection and self help facilitated by our amazing team of staff.
What do you think, am I mad, sad or is there something in here we could develop?
Let me know.
Roy
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