Today Moray Reach Out wants to highlight one of our success stories: Ayesha Phelps. Ayesha was placed at In Stitches for her work experience and four years on still loves coming into the shop!
During her NC Level 5 Childcare and Social Work Course Ayesha was placed at In Stitches to gain experience. She explains that at 16 she wasn’t quite sure what she would get out of her time here but reflecting now she thinks that it was the best placement for her!
Ayesha says that she has learned a lot from her time here! She feels that she learned about people with learning disabilities and how to work with vulnerable adults. Ayesha went on to explain that she has gained a great amount of confidence through working in the shop and with our trainees. Now she really feels at home here!
Ayesha knew when she went to college that she wanted to work with people which is why she enrolled into the social care course. However her work at In Stitches has informed what kind of social care she wants to pursue.
Ayesha is now a Support Assistant at Cornerstone who provide support services to a diverse range of people. She feels that her time at In Stitches helped to shape her career path. She mentioned that one of the things she likes about In Stitches is how person-centred it is. Working in a person-centred way was high on her priority list when it came to looking for her current role.
When asked what her favourite parts of working here was Ayesha said that getting to know everyone was definitely the best! She also loved all of the different crafts and activities she was able to do with the trainees. Ayesha particularly remembers that Shirley, the Project Coordinator of In Stitches, was really open to new ideas when it came to crafts. One of her favourite was making Batman hats!
Ayesha feels that social enterprises like In Stitches are very important to the Moray community. She explains that it is a space for adults with Learning Disabilities and vulnerable adults to come and feel supported. She likes that the shop teaches them new skills and feels that Shirley, the staff and volunteers are a wonderful resource for the trainees. She believes that the craft projects really bring out the best in the trainees and working in a place where the routines work for each person is really special.
Finally Ayesha explains that one of the best aspects of In Stitches is how involved everyone is and she hopes that she has brought this involvement and enthusiasm from her time at In Stitches to her new role!
