For many neurodivergent young people, building friendships can be difficult. They may feel that being alone is a safe place to be, so it’s vital that we offer opportunities to connect with other people.
Iain McKinnon, author and Creative Writing Tutor at our Vibe service, noticed that several of the young people we support share a love of film, and had the idea to start a film club.
The film club sessions give young people the chance to talk about something they enjoy in an environment where they feel comfortable. This has led to a lot of enthusiastic discussions, and has helped real friendships to form.
Iain says the best part is seeing the young people growing in confidence. “The absolute joy of seeing these young people having a conversation about something they love, it just lit me up.”
Read the full story on our blog – link in bio.
For many neurodivergent young people, leaving school can mean losing structure, routine, and support — and being left without a clear path forward.
At Gate, we understand that reality and we’re here to help.
Kirstie McRobert, Team Lead, says “Our Gate support service offers structured, personalised support for neurodivergent young adults at a point where it matters most. In a safe, neuro-inclusive environment, young people don’t just attend, they build skills for life. From communication and confidence to everyday independence and real-life experiences, each step is supported and purposeful.”
There’s still time to book your place at our open evening and find out more about a future that fits.
📍The Donaldson Trust, Preston Road, Linlithgow EH49 6HZ
📆Thursday 18th June
🕔5-7pm
Book your place at the link in our bio.
If you’re looking for something to do this weekend, Enable Scotland Falkirk Branch is running Awakening The Festival, a music festival designed for people with disabilities.
The festival, which features a range of performers and DJs, is on at Callander Park in Falkirk on Sunday 14 June from 12-6pm.
Visit https://falkirkenable.com/ to find out more.
Unsure what’s next for your neurodivergent child after they finish school?
Our Gate service provides a safe, structured environment where young adults can build confidence, develop real-life skills, and begin to see a clearer path forward.
Join us at our Open Evening to see how we support young adults to build confidence, develop life skills, and move towards a future that fits them – at their pace.
📍The Donaldson Trust, Preston Road, Linlithgow EH
📆Thursday 18th June
🕔5-7pm
Book your place at the link in our bio.
Unsure what’s next for your neurodivergent child after they finish school?
Our Gate service provides a safe, structured environment where young adults can build confidence, develop real-life skills, and begin to see a clearer path forward.
Join us at our Open Evening to see how we support young adults to build confidence, develop life skills, and move towards a future that fits them – at their pace.
📍The Donaldson Trust, Preston Road, Linlithgow EH49 6HZ
📆Thursday 18th June
🕔5-7pm
Book your place at the link in our bio.
Starting to think about what’s next for your neurodivergent child after school?
The team from our Gate service will be at the Moving On information evening at Pinewood School tonight (Thursday 11 June) from 6-7.30pm.
Based in Linlithgow, Gate supports neurodivergent young people aged 16+ to build confidence, develop life skills, and move towards positive futures.
Come along to meet the team, and learn more about how we support neurodivergent young people as they move towards adulthood.
If you can’t make it along tonight, we are also holding an open evening at our Linlithgow campus on Thursday 18 June. To find out more and to book, visit the link in our bio.
Meet our incredible fundraiser Laura! Laura’s daughter Hannah attends the Sensational Learning Centre, which supports neurodivergent children and young people who face challenges in traditional mainstream education settings.
Laura says, “Hannah is absolutely thriving and a huge part of this is down to the amazing people who are working with her day-to-day here. So I decided to do something to give back to them.”
Laura set herself the challenge of running the half-marathon (part of the @edinburghmarathonfestival), saying “I’m hoping to raise some money to allow the pupils to have more exciting adventures, buy some new resources. And the exciting part – they will get to choose what the money is spent on.”
Laura completed the race on a very hot day, and absolutely smashed her initial target. Thanks to all her supporters, she has raised an absolutely amazing total of £3,384.80!
We’d like to say a huge thank you to Laura and to everyone who sponsored her and cheered her on. This phenomenal total will make a real difference for the pupils at the Sensational Learning Centre.
“Donaldsons is a very special place to my whole family,” says Laura. “It has given us the most phenomenal support over the last 18 months and we can’t wait to see what the next chapter will bring.”
In honour of #VolunteersWeek, we would like to say thank you to our Trustees and Advisory Board Members for their continuing dedication and hard work.
Our Board plays an important role, providing invaluable guidance and support to ensure the smooth operation and growth of our organisation.
We are delighted to welcome our new Trustee, Peter Freer. We look forward to working with Peter and the Board as we continue our mission to create a society in which neurodivergent people are understood, accepted, treated fairly and valued.
#Volunteers #neurodiversity
