Dream The Change CIC is celebrating an incredible year

Among our many highlights, we won an award, gained funding, had numerous excursions and launched new support and activities for the families from diverse backgrounds who have children with special needs that are connected with us.

We asked our Co-founder Jemal to tell us about the highlights of 2022 and below is her response.

On 12th March 2022 we received The Extraordinary Achievers Charity Awards.

They told us, “Dream The Change, you have been selected because you demonstrate charitable excellence and high standards of ethical conduct, integrity, civic and social responsibility; your work stood out as an organisation that exemplifies ethical standards and behaviour. I and our team were delighted to receive the award.

We are grateful for the generous funding we’ve received from organisations like the National lottery, that allows us to continue our community work and supporting families from diverse backgrounds who have children with additional needs (SEND).

We also received funding from Colchester Catalyst that has allowed us to start a respite care service and the work our carer, Daniela Yong. This has been invaluable for our families who are grateful for this support. I and our team are honoured and grateful too. 

I graduated from the School of Social entrepreneurs and not only received a diploma, but also a grant of £4,000 that is being spent on activities for children with special needs and disabilities. 

Families connected with Dream The Change have enjoyed numerous exciting excursions and activities. 

One of the highlights was our trip to Legoland, and we also visited: Old MacDonald’s Farm and Fun Park in Brentwood; Willow Park Lifeskills Centre in Weeley; McLauchlans of Boxted to go strawberry picking; Paradise Wildlife Park in Broxbourne; Jimmy’s Farm and Wildlife Park in Wherstead; Fireworks in Castle Park, and we enjoyed Enlightened – stunning Christmas illumination and many more.

We organised picnics in Highwoods and Clacton beach and celebrated various occasions like children’s birthdays and a farewell event for our wonderful family of Gurung.

 

We continue to look for interactive activities for our children that can help them to improve their physical and social skills. 

Many thanks to Ability Using Sport for their help in 2022 running sports sessions where our children enjoyed a variety of activities to improve their coordination.

One of the most popular activities this year were Music Classes with Eleanor Abrahams and Frazer Merrick class. 

In the workshops the children enjoyed listening games like "guess the sound" and "listen rings".

The children also explored a variety of musical gadgets, turning light into sound and making electronic music with flashing lights. 

We experimented with using the iPad app Koala, a simple way of recording your own sounds and making drum beats with them.) Some of the children proved they were good drummers at a Drumming class led by Hossan Lotfi.

Horse-riding classes at Fletcher’s Farm Riding School at Fordham, Clay making and Festive Slime Making were also hits for the whole group!

We had many brilliant professionals join us for our Parent Tea Sessions including: Sue Anderton, Director of the Maze Group; Charmaine Champ of Continence Sleep and Behaviour Consultant; Samantha Silver, CEO of Action-attainment CIC,  Nicole Etienne , a Positive Psychology Practitioner, Coaching Psychologist and accredited coach, who specialises in posttraumatic growth,  E-safety training group, The 2Johns and many more. 

Our parents enjoyed sharing with each other their own life experiences around topics like: homeschooling, safeguarding, challenging, behavior, local services supporting families with additional needs children and support in teenage years and more.

We also organised activities for parents like Dance and Guasha treatment sessions.

Thanks to BSA, Wivenhoe Town Council and Lexden Springs School, parents connected with Dream The Change joined us for some exciting fundraising opportunities. These were held at Broomgrove School on 8/07/22, Wivenhoe Fair on 6/6/22, at the Christmas Fair at Lexden Springs School on 19/11/22.

 

In 2023, we will continue to offer activities for children, Parent Tea Sessions, educational visits and outings for children and the whole family.

We are delighted to announce that we are planning to collaborate with other professionals like Occupational Therapists and sport organisations so children can learn strategies to improve their feeling of inclusion. 

We hope children will build their confidence doing physical activity in daily routines to promote social, physical, emotional, and sensory regulation. 

Many families are feeling the effects of rising inflation and price rises, so we will offer them help from our community Food and Winter Essentials support. 

This has been made possible thanks to generosity of Essex Association  of Local Councils and the Leader of Essex County Council – Cllr Kevin Bentley. Their support has been amazing over the past few years. 

We would like to say a big thank you on behalf of our team and community to all our funders and sponsors, especially National Lottery Fund, Essex County Council, Colchester Catalyst, Essex Association  of Local Councils, Social School of Entrepreneurs who were so generous with us and the community we serve.