MeAndU youth club for Autistic young people

Who are we are… 

Me&U Youth Club offers a supportive and welcoming community for autistic young people.  

The club provides a safe and inclusive space where our members can socialise with their peers, make new friends, try new activities, enjoy hobbies and develop the social skills that will serve them well, throughout their life.

Our team of trained staff and dedicated volunteers are here to support members every step of the way. They're passionate about helping young people reach their full potential, and they do everything they can to make sure the club is a positive and enjoyable experience where members can thrive. 

Community impact

Me&U makes a difference to 100s of peoples lives every year. Not only the young people that we host every week but also their parents/carers, siblings, friends, school staff, professionals they meet, the list goes on. We endeavour to reach out and connect with as many people as possible increasing awareness and support and, at the request of our members, running campaigns around autism inclusion that they lead on.

Above - Some of our parents and carers at a forum event

We put some emphasis on supporting the points of transition in education - from primary to secondary and into college or university, as our members tell us these are some of the most challenging times of their lives. We work with parents and carers and local organisations to promote a network for all when facing these or other challenges. We host a regular parent/carer forum and work with organisations such as the NHS and SENDIASS to ensure we are promoting support that can be accessed in the community.

Above - Members support one another, have fun and develop long standing relationships 

Why are we crowdfunding?

We are crowdfunding because as a small not for profit group keeping our doors open and our service going is proving pretty tough. We have all the everyday expenses that naturally occur with hosting a community group but we also want our sessions to be as worthwhile, fun and as developmental for our members as possible and for that we need resources: 

• To run the crafts sessions, 
• Provide sensory music opportunities  
• Host a wide range of sports activities 
• Bring in professionals to run activities
• Take trips in the local community to places such as bowling, the cinema etc . 

Our members rely on the club, they don’t have the opportunity to access every day activities in the same way as other young people do but with our support they can. 

How we’ll spend the money raised

Any donations received will be so appreciated and support the club to continue in its present format as a weekly youth group offering a range of enriching activities. 

Above - Tie Dye crafts are a firm favourite with everyone! 

There are some new linked projects we would like to host such as money management and anxiety/stress busting workshops as these are things our members tell us they struggle with. 

We would also like to extend the opening times of the group, host a dedicated sports only hour and set up a second club session for our members over 18yrs.

How you can play your part:

There are four simple ways to help us reach our target and make this project a reality.

1. Make a pledge. Don’t delay if you’re going to support us because momentum is key to success!

2. Spread the word. Share our project on your social media pages and tell the world to get behind us! The more people we reach, the more support we will get.

3. Offer rewards. Get involved if you are a local business by donating things we can offer to our supporters. We will give you a shout out!

4. If you want to run your own fundraiser to support us, maybe a sponsored activity or similar, use the 'contact project' button at the top of our page to let us know. Setting up your own page only takes a few minutes and you won’t need any bank details. Just a fun idea!