Josh’s Confidence Grows with Enabling Good Lives Posted by Posted by Imogen Loakman on 24 August 2015 Posted on: 24 August 2015
Josh Leathem proudly shows off his Complete Home Care uniform of a t-shirt and cap. He’s working three days a week as a gardener and he gives it the big thumbs up.
After finishing at Ferndale School in 2013, Josh and his mum Adrienne were thinking about his next step. They heard about Enabling Good Lives and jumped at the chance to work with a navigator to help Josh achieve his dreams.
His strengths lay in his positive attitude and hands-on skills. He’d won the Dux Award at the end-of-year prizegiving and had gained trades skills at Canterbury Tertiary College’s carpentry and joinery course.
Enabling Good Lives Navigator Hannah Perry started working alongside Josh and Adrienne to plan for the future. Josh told Hannah and Adrienne that he would like to work outdoors, preferably on a farm. He soon found a gardening job through networking.
At Complete Home Care, Josh is gaining valuable outdoor work experience and will move into paid employment in the coming months after some further training. He’s also a volunteer at Trees for Canterbury. Both jobs contribute to his CV and future job possibilities.
Adrienne says that working has given Josh more than just new skills. ‘He’s proud of keeping his appearance tidy and he has friends from work that he socialises with on a Friday night. He’s matured so much and his confidence level has grown so high.’
Josh is also interested in going flatting. To get started, his navigator is working with him to organise a Circle of Support – an intentional network of people who can help support Josh to achieve his goals.‘I’m more relaxed about the future knowing there are people out there who can help Josh with his dreams and aspirations,’ Adrienne says.
Doing new things with new people is another aspect that Josh is working on to prepare for flatting. He will soon have a new communication device to help him with his speech. His navigator has helped him to find a device that meets his needs.
Josh is also practising flatting skills. He cooked a corned beef dinner for his mum because he likes to help her out. He goes down to the shop to get the milk and buys his lunch everyday with his workmates.
Not only is Josh developing more independence as he plans for his good life – Adrienne is feeling positive too.
‘I feel like we both get to start living life and I know that can happen now,’ Adrienne says.
Story taken from Christchurch's Enabling Good Lives Newsletter | February - March 2014.