IWA members in Roscommon complete Self-Advocacy Training 

We are delighted to celebrate five members in Roscommon on the completion of IWA’s Self-Advocacy Training, which supports members to develop new skills and build confidence to better advocate for themselves and others. 

Members Laura, Ian, Ryan, Darragh and Chelsea have spent the past few weeks taking part in Self-Advocacy Training, and they delivered their final presentations on Tuesday, 23 June to an audience of family, IWA staff, and their fellow members. 

Each participant was then presented with a certificate of completion of Self-Advocacy Training. 

For his presentation, Ian undertook a special project – he decided to restore an old wine barrel and bring it back to its former glory, and he shared pictures with those gathered and explained how he did it. 

Chelsea shared a beautiful piece of art she had made with her nephews’ handprints alongside her own, and she gave a presentation outlining the process from start to finish.  

Ryan loves YouTube and has his own channel where he posts videos, so he gave a presentation on how to set up a YouTube channel and become a content creator.  

Laura spoke about her journey with Special Olympics as a swimmer, and she even brought in her medals and keepsakes to show those in attendance. 

Finally, Darragh built his own coop over the past few weeks to house a hen and her chicks, and he even brought the coop in to show everyone as part of his presentation.  

Edel Carey delivered the training over the past few weeks and said it’s all about learning to be more assertive, developing communication skills, and building confidence. 

“People can be a bit apprehensive at first but after a few weeks they settle into it. It’s a great learning experience because none of us think about how we communicate, none of us think about the different styles of communication – we just do it without ever thinking about what we need to work on.”  

Congratulations to Laura, Ian, Ryan, Darragh and Chelsea on completing their Self-Advocacy Training.