Lighthouse Futures Trust

Our supported interns are thoroughly enjoying working with the rest of the catering team at Fortrea!

Over on the website, one of our students reports back on this week's Tech She Can Sustainable Travel webinar. https://lnkd.in/e6kMYnFT

This year our exploration subject is sustainability and our interns have been thinking about sustainable careers, transport and values. #LighthouseFuturesTrust #Sustainability

As a woman once told she couldn't be considered to manage a factory (probably no bigger than a Nandos) because the Director didn't want me to get "hurt" or "upset" it grinds my gears to hear of people not being able to reach their potential due to someone else being unable to step outside of their comfort zone. Someone recently sent me the 2023 census statistics for employment amongst those with a disability, which is really where this #LFTWednesdays Blog originated, and it was a surprising (and painful) read. Read it here: Disability pay gaps in the UK - Office for National Statistics As you'll know from Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion training at work, there are a set of 'protected characteristics' within the Equality Act which help to protect us all at work and in our day-to-day lives. All of us have or will come up against something in this list at some point, even if it's only feeling (or being considered) too old to do a particular job. The protected characteristics, in case you don't know them are: age, gender reassignment, being married or in a civil partnership, being pregnant or on maternity leave, race including colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation. We're all protected by law from being harassed, judged, excluded, overlooked, stereotyped, bullied... based on these characteristics. We're all in there and all expect to be treated nicely; do as you would be done by and all that. Why is it then, and excuse a rant here, that those with any kind of disability, on average, get paid less? If they have parity of skills and abilities it makes the situation worse. What makes Person A better than Person B who maybe can't hear as well or might need things explaining a bit differently? I've worked with plenty of people without disabilities that need things explaining repeatedly and still don't get it right. Why do they get paid better? The 2023 census data shows that disabled employees with autism experienced one of the widest pay gaps (27.9%), along with disabled employees with epilepsy (26.9%) and severe or specific learning difficulties (20.3%). That just seems wrong. If we've got equitable ways of working in place (and so what if "it's always been done like that", let's change it this time) then everyone can get done what they need to. That's all anyone wants, to go to work and get stuff done. We've come so far over the past few decades, we have women in the workplace and everything, but we still stumble over some of the protected characteristics. It feels like we need to make a massive national effort to tackle them each at a time, when in reality, we're just talking about regular people, the same as you and me, that need you to make a couple of adjustments. Maybe I'm asking for too much for us all to change our habits, but we can start to question ourselves more and wonder what it is that we consider so hard about recruiting and working with someone with a disability.

Our November Parent & Carer Peer Support* event is taking place at Carlton House on Thursday November 14th at 5:00-6:30pm. This month we have a guest speaker Caroline from the Citizen's Advice Bureau, who will be here to talk to you about how the service can be a support to families and individuals. She will be available to take your questions too, and chat about what concerns or issues you have which may benefit from the CAB services. If you would like to come along in person on the evening (or online)**, please book yourself a free ticket at:  https://lnkd.in/enXJtJF4 We look forward to seeing you then! *NB: Please note, this event is for parents and carers of current or former students of Lighthouse Futures Trust only.  **We are unable to host students at this time.

The great thing about working at Lighthouse Futures Trust is locations like this that you get to call your office for a day! What a place - CRAG HOUSE FARM

☀️An important message from Sunshine & Smiles ☀️ This is a very hard post for us to write, but we urgently need your help! As we head into the last month of our financial year, Sunshine & Smiles and 21 Co. are looking at a £30,000 deficit on this year’s running costs versus income. Sunshine & Smiles remains a small, local grassroots charity. We are parent and carer-led, with the majority of our staff, volunteers and trustees having lived experience of Down syndrome. Eleven members of our 21 Co. team have Down syndrome. We support over 180 families across the city of Leeds who all have a loved one who has Down syndrome. We are unique to Leeds, and the support and services we offer are vital to our local community. Fundraising, grants & donations have been much harder to secure this year; there is huge competition for more limited funds available, and we know everyone has been hit by the cost of living crisis. A very important part of our ethos is that all of our support and services remain free of charge to everyone who wants & needs to access them – we don’t want there to be any barriers to people getting the support they need, when they need it. We desperately need to make up this shortfall, so we are asking you to help us. You can do this in a few different ways: ☀️ If you are coming to a Sunshine & Smiles activity, there is always an option to make a donation. Please do this if you can! ☀️ We have set up a crowdfunding campaign; please donate to this if you can, but also share far and wide with your friends and family! Donate here: https://lnkd.in/ehRA_xBF  ☀️ Could you set up a fundraising page of your own to link to our crowdfunder? You could do anything: hold a bake sale, do a sponsored event, give us something for a month – it can be as accessible and inclusive as you want to make it! You can find the “Fundraise Now” link on our crowdfunding page above. ☀️ Could your employer want to support us as their Charity of the Year? We really don’t like being in this position and having to ask for your help, but things have been really tough this year! We’re very grateful for any support you can give. Together, we can continue making a difference for the families we serve in our community. #localcharity #ukcharity #smallcharity

We’re looking for a Post-16 Programme Lead to join our team in Leeds. More details on the website. Pls share! https://lnkd.in/eDUZNw56

We’re looking for a Post-16 Programme Lead to join our team in Leeds. More details on the website. Pls share! https://lnkd.in/eDUZNw56

It's Diwali this week, and as I was mulling over what to write for this week's #LFTWednesdays I realised that this is a great opportunity to explore the 'Lighthouse' in Lighthouse Futures Trust. It's one of the things you keep asking us to talk about: who are we and what do we do? I remember watching Blue Peter back in the 80s, and they described Diwali as 'The Festival of Light' and that's always stuck with me. Looking into it to write this, I found the description: inner light that protects from darkness*. Wow - that sums Lighthouse up in a metaphorical nutshell. As well as the obvious meanings of the word 'Lighthouse', standing proudly on a cliff shepherding travelers safely to shore, or a ray of light cutting through darkness, we sometimes get described as a 'beacon of hope'. But we're more than that; we're lighting a candle on your windowsill when you've got in from work, settled into your PJs, and nod off whilst trying to watch Bake Off with a hot chocolate. We're safe, comfortable, and somewhere you can call home. Plus, our empathy, knowledge, lived-experience, and individual-based approach means that we wrap around our students like a comfy old cardigan. Lighthouse Futures Trust is a place you can learn in a way you personally need to, make friends who 'get you', do things you never dreamed you'd ever be able to do. Our young people are developing skills to help protect themselves from their inner darkness. And we're here to support them as they do. So light that candle when you get home tonight, and think about all those things you do that protect yourself and others from the darkness. * National Geographic Kids - https://lnkd.in/ewmvuVEs #LFTWednesdays