Project Description:
The NCED Sibshops project is a training project developed to train facilitators statewide to plan and initiate Sibshop projects in their own communities. The Sibshops facilitator training will be offered free of charge to those who want to attend, with the understanding that they will commit to starting Sibshop projects in their communities.
Sibshops are best described as opportunities for brothers and sisters of children with special health and developmental needs to obtain peer support and education within a recreational context. They reflect an agency's commitment to the well-being of the family member most likely to have the longest-lasting relationship with the person with special needs.
However, for the young people who attend them and the energetic people who run them, Sibshops are best described as events. Sibshops are lively, pedal-to-the-metal celebrations of the many contributions made by brothers and sisters of kids with special needs. Sibshops acknowledge that being the brother or sister of a person with special needs is for some a good thing, others a not-so- good thing, and for many somewhere in between. They reflect a belief that brothers and sisters have much to offer one another--if they are given a chance. The Sibshop model intersperses information and discussion activities with new games (designed to be unique, off-beat, and appealing to a wide ability range), cooking activities, and special guests who may teach participants mime, how to juggle or, in the case of one guest artist who has cerebral palsy, how to paint by holding a toothbrush in your mouth. Sibshops are as fun and rewarding for the people who host them as they are for the participants.
Sibshops seek to provide siblings with opportunities for peer support. Because Sibshops are designed (primarily) for school-age children, peer support is provided within a lively, recreational context that emphasizes a kids?-eye-view.
Sibshops are not therapy, group or otherwise, although their effect may be therapeutic for some children. Sibshops acknowledge that most brothers and sisters of people with special needs, like their parents, are doing well, despite the challenges of an illness or disability. Consequently, while Sibshop facilitators always keep an eye open for participants who may need additional services, the Sibshop model takes a wellness approach.
The NCED is sponsoring a two-day facilitator training, Trainess will become Certified Sibshops Facilitators by attending both days of this training.
Register for the training at http://nevadasibshops.eventbrite.com
On the second day of the training, Don Meyer, director of the Sibling Support Project, will conduct a live Sibshop.
Target Audience:
Community Trainees / Short term trainees, Professionals and Para-Professionals, Family Members/Caregivers, Children/Adolescents with Disabilities/SHCN, General Public
