Owain, Senior Community Support Worker

Fun, rewarding and never a dull moment – all ways that Owain would describe his role! But what led him to RSBC, and what does being a Senior Community Support Worker actually involve?

Owain says, “Before starting at RSBC, I was a teaching assistant in primary education. After that, I went to work at a Pupil Referral Unit for children who’d been excluded from main education. It was a place which catered to their social, emotional and mental health needs. Often, children who are considered to be disruptive are seen as ‘naughty kids’ but in my experience, many are neurodivergent and have conditions like obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), Asperger’s syndrome, autism, or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Much as I enjoyed the job, it was full on, and I found it a bit frustrating that there wasn’t time for things like catch ups with the children and staff debriefs.”

Owain knew exactly what he wanted to do. “Charity work and community work appealed to me, so I left to join RSBC as a Creative Support Worker, working with blind and partially sighted children and young people. That meant doing everything from development sessions to music, art and drama.”

The timing of Owain’s move to RSBC coincided neatly with the initial Covid lockdowns in 2020. “I started in mid-March, so it was challenging!” he recalls. “I was new, and everyone at RSBC was learning and adapting on the spot to the change in circumstances. Everything was done on video calls, so we had to come up with new types of sessions. It was actually really good fun.”

Over the next 2 and a half years, Owain was involved in lots of activities and trips, from open mike sessions to curating performances and planning and executing events. Then he was promoted to Senior Community Support Worker, a role he’s loving. “It’s pretty full on – I oversee many of the different projects we have going on at any one time,” Owain smiles. “It a new role at RSBC and it was very busy at the start. I was in charge of many of the activities for about seven months. I had a busy first summer, talking to the team, putting a calendar of events together, setting up the events, and asking for cheeky discounts and freebies wherever I could get them to make our programme as robust – and fun – as possible.”

Another part of Owains’ role has been to deliver RSBC’s inclusive activity training in England and Wales. “Few organisations who deliver services to young people have a solid understanding of how to accommodate those who are vision impaired in their activities. And if you haven’t had personal experience of being with someone who’s vision impaired, you may not know how to take accessibility into account.

“In these sessions, I show how to engage with a blind or partially sighted person in the workplace. I talk about how to be very descriptive, the accessible technology that’s available, and give some information on vision impairment types and sighted guiding. It’s a really good opportunity to share experiences, raises awareness, and help people understand how adaptations can be made to make vision impaired youngsters feel more comfortable.”

A big part of Owain’s job is to manage community partnerships. “We work closely with many amazing organisations, such as Crystal Palace Football Club’s Palace for Life Foundation, Bloomsbury Sports Association, The Amber Trust, and Percussion Play.”

But as far as Owain’s concerned, nothing beats spending time with the children and young people RSBC supports. Throughout the year, RSBC has a wide variety of activities to appeal to a range of ages and interests. “We do a lot of accessible trips, and have lots going on!” he laughs. “We hold two residential trips (one for under 16’s and one for 16+) per year. We split them by age, as different age groups want different things and have different capabilities. They get to enjoy activities like rock climbing, doing a via ferrata (climbing routes on a rock cliff), abseiling and bouldering.

“We’re doing more regional in-person activities generally – things like visiting the Lego Centre in Birmingham, and the Wrexham Science Explore Centre in Wales.

“We’ve been to the Old Vic theatre, enjoyed ballet, and visited the Royal Opera House. The children and young people can feel the sets and the costumes, meet the actors back stage, and have headphones with audio descriptions for a personalised experience. Other activities recently have included bowling, and a Horrible Histories boat trip down the Thames.

“It’s fantastic for children and young people to be able to experience these things, and I love getting to work across different locations. It’s very rewarding, and the kids absolutely love the activities!”

But there’s more. Owain says, “We run a lot of sessions at our Life Without Limits Centre in London, where children and young people can attend in person and meet their similarly abled peers. Once a month, we hold The Big Saturday when young people can get a taste of three or four different activities like Nintendo Switch, virtual reality headsets, our Film Club, making music, trying yoga, competing at sport, or join in a cook-along. It’s just a really chilled environment.

“Not everyone lives in the South East, of course, so we also do loads online, as virtual sessions can be easier for young people to engage with. Regular online events include our Audio Book Club, Sisterhood, Boys’ Club, our LGBTQIA+ group, and our accessible technology sessions.”

Owain adds, “Lots of young people with vision impairments don’t get opportunities to do these things, and if they do, it can be nerve wracking for them. Working at RSBC, I love seeing their parents’ reactions when their children join in, because they’re so keen to get them involved. The kids don’t need to worry because it’s an accessible environment specifically catering to their needs. They’re not stressed about how they’re viewed or scared that they’re getting in the way. They can take as much time as they need and use any aids they want to. Watching how excited they are is the greatest thing. They just let loose!”

And Owain’s advice to someone considering a similar role at RSBC? “Dive in! Don’t ever let a perceived lack of vision impairment experience hold you back. I didn’t have much at all, apart from having a cousin who was blind, and so I was anxious when I started, but you learn so much on the job. It’s so, so much more rewarding than you’d probably expect.”