Able2enable takes a holistic approach to support individuals to develop key life skills, improve wellbeing and increase employability skills. We encourage individuals to grow within their capabilities by providing them with coaching and wellbeing support, training opportunities and supported volunteering placements.
We offer each individual a tailored approach that explores the areas for personal development that the individual would like to focus on. This could include building confidence, developing self-esteem, communication skills, employability skills.
What is supported volunteering?
Volunteering should be accessible and open to all individuals that want to get involved. Sometimes people need a bit of extra support to volunteer and overcome barriers such as a lack of confidence and motivation, difficulty communicating, problems completing application forms or anxiety about travelling to unfamiliar venues and meeting new people. Supported volunteering refers to volunteering opportunities that have support structures in place that support individuals with their specific needs.
What are our aims?
Through the Able2enable project, we aim to:
- Improve wellbeing
- Develop Confidence and Self-Esteem
- Inspire and enable anybody to volunteer and take an active role in their community
- Help individuals to develop their skills and enhance their potential
- Promote volunteering as an activity for everybody.
- Help individuals to develop clear goals.
- Encourage individuals to gain skills to get closer to the workplace.
What do we believe?
We believe that:
- Everyone has skills and abilities to offer to their community.
- Everyone has the right to participate.
- No one should live in isolation.
- Volunteering is for all.
- Volunteering empowers people.
- Volunteering benefits the whole community, the individual and the voluntary sector.
- Everyone may need support at some point in their lives to access and become an active part of their community.
- A strong and resilient community is inclusive and diverse.
Our Able2Enable service helps people who have any barriers to volunteering access and sustain volunteering and to enjoy the benefits of volunteering activity such as:
- Improved health and wellbeing.
- Increased self-confidence, self esteem and sense of worth.
- Routine and structure.
- Increased social interaction.
- Improved skills, experience and CV.
Who do we support?
We support any individual that requires support to get into volunteering. Our client group is extremely varied and includes:
- People with learning disabilities.
- People with physical disabilities and long-term health issues.
- People experiencing mental health challenges.
- People on the autistic spectrum.
- People whose first language is not English.
- Refugees.
- People at risk of homelessness or homeless.
- Long-term unemployed, stay-at-home parents.
- People with criminal records.
- People who suffer isolation due to multiple reasons.
- People with addictions.
- Anyone who is facing challenges.
We welcome referrals from a range of services.
Read about our clients' experiences of the service
"Before Able2Enable, I wasn’t sure I would ever get back into the swing of life. Everyone else was moving at such a fast pace and I felt too behind to catch up. I spent all of my days at home, feeling so isolated from everyone else. When I was referred over, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but when I met the Able2Enable team I instantly felt understood, and comfortable that they understood my needs."
The Able2Enable team "helped me find the most fitting role which I fell in love with before I'd even started. They motivated me to believe that I could do it; I felt so useless before."
"Able2Enable helps me with developing all the things I’ve missed or feel like I couldn’t do compared to more able people, and it has made me realise there is more to me than just my disabilities. I have strengths and passions, and so much more that I wouldn’t have discovered without the program. I know I will be forever grateful for the change it has brought to my life. Thank you, team.”
"I've been fortunate enough to have been working with Anna Leyden through the Able2enable programme for some time now. When she first began mentoring me I was not in a good place as I suffer from long term anxiety issues among other health issues, these had been compounded by the lockdowns and general atmosphere over the pandemic. However since my sessions with Anna began my mood and confidence is much improved, she has helped by providing me with exercises that compliment the CBT I received from the Wellbeing team well. Thanks to her encouragement I've even been able to write a book which has given me no end of joy. Most importantly she has helped me to dip my toes into Volunteering with the local church through the warm spaces hub and look towards expanding my social horizons. The patient and hollistic approach she has taken with me has worked miracles, it's the personal face to face approach organisations like the DWP don't have time to give you and I'm grateful to Anna and Able2enable for helping me make some albeit small but vital steps."