Page 13 - Community Living Magazine 33 - 1

human rights
Ambition makes a global message

Helen Laverty, Francesca Goff and Harley Jolley went to the
United Nations in Geneva to tell the world that people with
disabilities have dreams, aspirations and right to work

he telephone call from Time2Shine We did wonder how we would all manage
went something like this. with the languages, but it was fine.
T “Hi, Helen. What are you doing on Everyone was well supported and, after
19 March and the next three days?” being shy at first, we all worked together.
“Nothing that can’t be moved. Why?” We flew to Geneva from Bristol and
“Fabulous. So will you come to Geneva caught the shuttle bus to our hotel. We
with us and help us prepare our self- were all very excited that first night.
advocacy speeches to present to the The next day, we got up early as we had
United Nations?” to get to the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva,
“Err … Yes.” which involved two buses and a walk. We
Time2Shine is a groundbreaking spent the day together, becoming
approach to ensuring young people with a confident in what we wanted to say to the
learning disability get real-life work UN and making friends. It was amazing to
experience and opportunities through a meet model Katie Grant, who has Down
one-year programme run with Cornwall syndrome – she is so pretty and really lovely. Francesca Goff and Harley Jolley with Ted
Accessible Activities Programme. Then it was time to go back to the hotel. Emrys-Jones outside the United Nations
It is the brainchild of Angie Emrys-Jones We had a bit of a party that night to building; below, preparing their message
and Sandy Lawrence, two warrior parents celebrate how far we had come and what
of exceptional children who I first met at a we were going to show the world. seriously thrown me. Nevertheless, these
family-focused conference in Somerset. I The next morning, we made our way to young people embraced the experiences of
was bowled over by their work in an the UN. Our nerves kicked in then but, meeting new people and doing new things.
often-overlooked part of the country. when we met up with everyone else, we They used whole body communication
Helen Laverty soon settled. to meet, greet and work with attendees
Then we were off. What we said was from other countries. After a quiet start, a
Telling the world live streamed around the world and lots buzz rose in the room along with laughter
We are Shiner fellows – people who have of people kept tweeting us. Our theme and gestures in a shared language. That
completed the Time2Shine programme. was “Leave no one behind in the world of first evening, everyone was exhausted –
You might have met us at Positive Choices work” – and we think we did a good job. and the main event was still to come.
in Hull and/or Dublin. Francesca is 17 and Francesca Goff and Harley Jolley While I was queuing to clear security,
Harley is 19; we both live with our parents in the scale of what these young people were
Cornwall and go part time to a local college. A multilingual message about to do set in. They were telling the
We both have big dreams; Francesca As a seasoned academic, I find most venues world that they had dreams, aspirations
would like to teach dance and loves being and audiences, while approached with a and a right to work. Boy, did they do it.
part of Pick’n’Mix dance troupe. Harley little frisson of “here we go”, don’t faze me. Helen Laverty
wants to work for the police force. However, entering the venue to meet
In March 2019, we travelled to Geneva self-advocates we did not know or even Force for good
with Angie Emrys-Jones from Time2Shine know if they could speak English, would have Because of one tweet, Jolly secured an
and Helen Laverty from Positive internship then gained full-time
Choices and our mums. Ted employment at Devon and
Emrys-Jones, Angie’s son, came Cornwall Police.
with us and kept us very Goff continues to inspire others
entertained. We were going to with the Pick‘n’Mix dance troupe
address the United Nations while studying hard at a college.
Committee on the Rights of l Time to Shine: www.caapuk.co.
Persons with Disabilities in the uk/time2shine/
Palais des Nations for World l Positive Choices: https://positive-
Down Syndrome Day. choices.com/
Down Syndrome International
invited us to go, along with Helen Laverty MBE is professional
young people from France, lead for learning disability nursing at
Germany, Indonesia, New the University of Nottingham and
Zealand, Northern Ireland, founder of Positive Choices
Poland, Spain and Switzerland. t @helen_laverty

www.cl-initiatives.co.uk Community Living Vol 33 No 1 | Autumn 2019 13