Social enterprise NOW Group have revealed plans for a new initiative that will train people with autism and learning difficulties to be tour guides and offer unique tours of Belfast. The idea for ‘Through our eyes’ came about as part of an international exchange partnership programme between NOW and TILL Inc. who are based in Belfast’s Sister City Boston.
By summer 2019 NOW aims to have 5 people with autism and learning difficulties trained as tour guides who will offer visitors to Belfast tours of the city as they see it, with an additional 5 people being trained by TILL in Boston. The partnership hopes to include an international exchange programme between Belfast and Boston where staff and participants will share their skills and experience while learning from time spent in the other city and will be supported through the Irish International Immigration Center (IIIC).
A group of 16 travellers from Boston were recently in Ireland for a week with TILL Inc. to mark the beginning of the exchange programme and visited Belfast for a day as guests of NOW. TILL Inc. offer a range of services to people with disabilities, one of which is ‘TILL Travel’ that offers people with learning differences the opportunity to gain interpersonal and social skills through travel. The group began their day with a visit to Titanic Belfast, before enjoying lunch in The Bobbin social enterprise café in Belfast City Hall which is run by NOW. They were then hosted by The High Sheriff of Belfast, Councillor Carole Howard for a tour of the City Hall. The group finished their day in Loaf Pottery and Coffee Shop in Crawfordsburn, another of NOW’s social enterprise businesses, where they took part in a pottery class and enjoyed dinner while being entertained by an Irish dancing showcase.
21 окт 2024
