Whoops last post wobbled

I will try again;

I now have less than 2 weeks before my departure date. My daughter, who has been in Australia for the past 2 years, returns home next week. I am looking forward to having one week with her before I leave.  I have mixed feelings in really looking forward to seeing her again, disappointed that it will only be for one week, while also looking forward to my trip.  Not great timing but just the way these things work out.

A more trivial pre trip 'concern' is related to my current fitness level. I retired 5 months ago and set about shedding a few pounds and improving my fitness. I have been moderately successful in both aims; perhaps putting in greater effort than the results show but I can feel the difference. I wonder after 6 weeks of sitting on planes, in cars and in meetings; eating hotel food and exercising a lot less than the 8 hours a week my body has got use to, (with a few complaints it must be said) will I waddle back home having lost 5 months of hard earned gains? My budget doesn't run to luxury hotels with gyms and pools and my schedule is not conducive for regular runs so the odds seemed stacked against me and I look set to return from my Churchill Fellowship trip with not just the benefits of the experience gained but perhaps also more of a Churchillian frame!

Preparation continue!

I am busy preparing for my trip - 6 weeks away from home courtesy of Winston Churchill Memorial Trust.  I attach a link so that you can check out the site and this time next year you may be preparing for your trip away!
I have worked in Special Education all my working life, which is about 21 years short of my entire life.  The schools I have worked in have done excellent work in preparing young people to make the most of their lives and to celebrate who they are.  All too often, however, these young people would leave school and not have opportunities to utilise the skills and qualities they could offer the world.  This is changing and for some people with severe learning difficulties who would like to work some doors are gradually opening. My travelling fellowship is giving me an opportunity to look at 12 different schemes around North America and Canada that are enabling people with learning difficulties to have the dignity of employment and the pay to go with it!  I will speak with like minded professionals, business people and   those who have opened that door and are providing real jobs for real pay.

The preparation for the trip started with researching employment for people who have learning difficulties.  Once I found good and interesting examples I then tried to cluster them geographically so that I could visit as many as possible. I was delighted and amazed to find about an 80% positive response rate to my initial request for additional information and a possible visit.  Then began 3 months of developing a dialogue with 12 different institutions; getting to know individuals and building up a relationship so that I will be able to get the most when arriving, in some places, for only a one day visit.

Once the visits were confirmed then researching accommodation and travel filled my days, resolving such dilemmas as choosing between a hotel within walking distance but in a bad area against a nicer, but more expensive hotel that is a complicated journey away.  My research led to me stumbling across 'Airbnb' which has been a great help in finding accommodation with a more personal feel and usually in great locations.

I am now applying the final touches and getting some fantastic emails from my soon to be business hosts with all sorts of generous offers of their time, hospitality and support.  Before I have even set off I have been overwhelmed with the amount of good people that have replied so warmly to my initial email and that I am now so looking forward to meeting.  In future blogs I hope to name names and honour the good guys as I go as well as reporting back on employment strategies to help get people who have learning disabilities into work.

If you are interested to know more about the Churchill Travelling Fellowships and perhaps embark on your own adventure check out the link - and maybe next year I'll be reading your blog!


www.wcmt.org.uk

What is WCMT?

WCMT is Winston Churchill Memorial Trust.
Applications for a 2013 travel fellowship are now open until October 2nd.  The reason I bring this up is the reason I have started this blog.  I have been awarded a Churchill Travelling Fellowship for 2012.  I will be travelling to USA & Canada exploring ways that employment opportunities for people with learning difficulties may be created.  The Blog is one way of keeping in touch with family and friends and also of letting the Trust know that I am putting their funds to good use!
This is my first ever blog - more to come once my travels begin!