Integrate

The Integrate group Our Integrate project in Cambridgeshire was part of our Active Voices programme. Due to funding cuts we are not currently running Integrate in the Cambridgeshire area. We are still pursuing funds and hope to continue the work in Cambridgeshire again in the future.

The Integrate project in Cambridgeshire ran from March 2008 until March 2011 and was for young people aged 16-25. The project brought together young people with and without disabilities and gave them a positive experience of each other and their communities.

The Integrate team met in groups and had fun meetings to plan and decide workshops to take into mainstream schools. These workshops aimed to teach others about life as a young person with disabilities, to build a better understanding of issues and to reduce bullying.

This year’s groups put together two DVD’s which they have shown to other young people without disabilities in the area to raise awareness about disability and fight discrimination and bullying. They did everything from thinking up the initial concepts and writing the scripts through to filming and helping edit

The group at Cambridge Regional College put together a slightly longer video showing ‘a day in the life’ of some members in the group and effectively showed some of the difficulties that people with disabilities can face day to day while keeping a positive tone throughout.

Of all the students that the Integrate team went and visited, 86% said that they would be more likely to now make friends with someone with a disability which is absolutely fantastic!