Impacting lives, informing decision-making and creating systemic change.
The initiatives we facilitate at Legacy Creative Space seek to improve the lives and livelihoods of the individuals we serve. But our goal is not to stop there. We seek to ensure both long-term and widespread change by designing models that can be replicated in other contexts and identifying lessons learned that can inform decision-making at a regional and even national level.
Our initial priority is to examine the gap that exists in the area of skills development training for young adults with disabilities in an effort to equip them for financial independence. The Entrepreneurship Fundamentals Course, with support from TwoSixteen Research & Development Lab and The Career Foundation, is an initiative designed and implemented by Legacy Creative Space that seeks to help bridge this gap and provide the necessary tools for our participants to kick-start their own businesses.
Read more below about how we are working to ensure this initiative has impact beyond the initial cohort.
“It’s an opportunity to level the playing field for these talented and passionate young people.”
A gap exists in the area of innovative vocational skills development training for young adults with intellectual exceptionalities. Traditional day programs focus primarily on adult recreation, socialization and vocational training for menial tasks typically unrelated to the individuals' inherent passions, interests or aptitudes. With a focus on preparing individuals for the traditional workforce or to simply keep them occupied throughout the day, traditional programming lacks opportunities for these young adults to develop their inherent talents and utilize them for employment and financial independence.
The wider social implications of this traditional model reinforces an already marginalized population into a systemized dependency on social supports at the same time denying them the need for self-actualization and confidence as a contributing member of society. The far-reaching socio-economic benefits of reforming the current post secondary model have yet to be explored.
The team at TwoSixteen Research and Innovation Lab have launched Legacy Creative Space as a pilot project to explore opportunities for systemic changes in post-secondary education and vocational training for creative and passionate young adults with exceptionalities.
The first initiative of the project is an Entrepreneurship Fundamentals Course delivered virtually to students through a series of 7 classes.
TwoSixteen’s Co-director, Rhonda Geraghty, envisions opportunities for youth with exceptionalities on par with their ‘typical’ peers. “It’s an opportunity to level the playing field for these talented and passionate young people, who have hopes, dreams, potential and talent”, she says.
At the outset of the project design, the team built in the ability to gather data throughout the program through interviews, surveys and general feedback from participants. This will ensure the project can be modified and improved upon for future iterations. Data collected will also help continue to challenge notions of what it means to be an entrepreneur and further expand ideas on how individuals with intellectual disabilities can find pathways to financial independence.
