About Us
The Friendship Circle of Elstree & Borehamwood is part of the International Friendship Circle Programme. It was founded on the idea that each child, regardless of his or her challenges, deserves a circle of friends! Through the Friendship Circle, we aim to create a more inclusive community for children with special needs, one that sees the similarities rather than the differences in each and every one of us….
…we are here to build friendships!
SENsory Sunday
At the heart of the SENsory Sunday Circle Programme, which will take place monthly at the Jewish Life Centre, children with additional needs will be paired with a specially trained teenage buddy, who will engage with kindness and friendship. These friendships will benefit the children by strengthening their identity, self esteem and sense of belonging within the community. SEnsory Sunday will include sensory activities, interactive play, some cooking and baking activities and of course lots of music and fun all around!
Check out the upcoming dates of SENsory Sunday, and register to join – we would love to see you there!
Upcoming – June Session
We are thrilled to invite your child(ren) to an unforgettable afternoon of sensory fun!
- Sensory Tent: Dive into a world of textures, lights, and sounds in our sensory ten specially designed to engage and stimulate the senses.
- Cooking Club: Let your little chef explore their creativity by making edible flower art! It’s a feast for the eyes and taste buds!
- Playdough Ice Cream Making Station: Design your own pretend ice cream creations using colourful playdough. The only limit is your imagination!
- Sensory Arts & Crafts: Get crafty with a variety of sensory-friendly art activities, from finger painting to squishy sculpture-making.
- And so much more!!
We are so excited to see you and join in for the fun!
RSVP as soon as possible so we can make sure we have a teen buddy to give special positive attention to your child.
Coffee & Chat
We are so excited to have a coffee, chat and support with other parents of neuro-diverse children running the same time as the SENsory Sunday programme. You can drop your children off for a super fun time where they will be safe and well taken care of, and pop over to Starbucks for coffee.
Leanne Cowen will be joining for an informal discussion and advice navigating “Emotional regulation with Neuro-diverse children”. Leanne is an highly experienced specialist Clinical Child Psychologist, Leanne works with children, teenagers, and their families providing psychological assessments and therapy for a broad range of needs. Leanne is passionate about helping children and families and is dedicated to identifying stregths as well as understanding what gets in the way of people achieving their potential.
Please register so we have heads up how many parents to expect.
Friends@Home
Friends@Home gives children with additional needs a chance to bond with a teen buddy at the comfort of their own home.
Together they will engage in a multitude of fun activities including baking, playing, creating arts n’ crafts, reading books and more. A weekly playdate that’s all fun on your child’s schedule!
Register your child, and we will be in touch to organise a home visit with Joanna, our safety guidance to discuss bringing Friends@Home to your family.
Teen Volunteering Opportunites
Being a volunteer at the Friendship Circle is the most amazing and rewarding opportunity for girls and boys in Year 9 and older!
Every volunteer must attend at least one training session which will take place each term to learn and develop skills and resources on becoming a friend to a child with additional needs.
Jo Gordon, a highly specialist Speech and Language Therapist with expertise dealing with children with special needs will lead the training.
Each teen volunteer will be able to chose to commit to volunteering weekly for the Friends@Home programme, or monthly with the SENsory Sunday programme. You will be a child’s special friend, to do fun activities together, play games and bring lots of smiles and laughter!
Volunteering at the Friendship Circle wil give you volunteering hours for DofE or many other programmes. It is a great asset to your CV or when applying for universities.
Once you register we will be in touch with you to give details of the next training session.
The Vision
Inclusivity
Creating an inclusive community where everyone is seen as equal and feels valued.
Purpose
Having a sense of purpose and giving of your time in a meaningful way each week.
Friendship
Creating meaningful friendships in a nurturing and fun environment.
For any questions for the Friendship Circle please contact Lauren who will direct you accordingly – friendshipcircle@jewishlifecentre.org
