VENTURES PROGRAM

Ventures is a community-based program that operates under the 50/50 policy which stands for fifty percent development of daily living skills and fifty percent participant volunteerism and vocational experiences.

Tell me, and I forget, Teach me, and I remember, Involve me, and I learn
-Benjamin Franklin

Ventures is a community-based program designed with groups of three individuals and a Community Team Leader. Ventures offer 100% supervision and are solely based in the community. Each group is geographically close to the other, and many activities occur in surrounding cities near their residences. Ventures also offer work training in the form of part-time paid employment for individuals interested in working in the community. Every group participates in some volunteer work: In places such as meals on wheels, local public libraries, food banks, retirement centers, and churches, to name a few.

Participants learn safety skills, self-advocacy, mobility training, and socialization skills in Ventures. The clients are encouraged to help create the weekly schedule with their community Team Leader, incorporating their hobbies and interests.

Ventures program provides a flexible, focused multilayered approach to integration that can:

- Be a transition step to community-based employment or other service options

- Be utilized as a situational assessment to identify the client's interests, as well as for barriers that may hinder the client's progression

- Provide the client with the knowledge and confidence to maneuver independently within their community

- Aid in the development of long-lasting acquaintances

- Create the opportunity to develop vocational experience in their community through volunteer work.

A 1-to-3 ratio ensures that participants are safe and well-supported in all situations that may occur. Daily schedules include the participation of all group members and relate to a specific domain, identified to address significant aspects of a person's life.