The 7 O’Clock Club - Case Study
A young man with cerebral palsy began attending the club about six months ago. Previous to this he hadn’t been getting out much. He lived locally and needed some support in getting about. From the first day he came to club he was an absolute delight – witty, charming and hugely outgoing – and his joy at being in a social environment with a group of young people and adults he could laugh with was obvious.
He’s been at the forefront of most of the projects the club has run since then. He was very influential in helping to integrate the club and its members with the wider community when we built giant puppets with local young people for the Caversham Carnival. When members from the club were invited to the launch of London’s Olympic bid aboard a yacht on the Thames, he was fantastic, mingling with the gathered glitterati like they had been his mates for years and passing on his confidence to others in the group.
Recently he’s shown another very serious side to his character, one that cares about and is determined to argue for better services for young people with disabilities. He was one of four club members who represented the 7 O’Clock Club at Camden Council’s Liaison Group event, held to discuss implications of the latest phase of the Disability Discrimination Act. He also joined Camden Youth and Connexions’ Young People’s Participation Strategy Group, formed to discuss the best ways to build a voice for young people within the borough. With meetings once a fortnight and a residential later on in the year, the job is not for the faint hearted but the young man accepted the role without question and with a good deal of enthusiasm.