YOUTH
TAG Youth Club meets weekly at Ham Youth Centre and aims to empower and optimise the potential of young people aged 15 to 25 who have a disability.
This is achieved through a range of informal and experiential learning, both at the youth centre and in the community.
When? Friday, 7.30-9.30pm
Where? Ham Youth Centre
Cost? £5*
JUNIORS
Our Junior Club provides a safe environment for disabled children aged between 8 and 14 years, with a mild, moderate or physical disability.
Sessions run every Friday at Ham Youth Centre. The Club provides positive activities which are all about having fun, learning new skills and meeting new people.
When? Friday, 5.45-7.15pm
Where? Ham Youth Centre
Cost? £5*
A PARENT-FREE ZONE
TAG is a parent-free zone which provides children and young people with somewhere to go, something to do and someone to talk to.
Our staff are experienced and well trained and you can be confident in the support and care that we offer.
ADDITIONAL SUPPORT
We provide an enhanced staffing ratio compared to universal youth services; however, some children and young people may need additional support beyond this to access our activities.
If you think your child or young person may need additional support to attend our activities, then please contact us and we will be happy to discuss the options available including any signposting. We will do everything we can to make our activities accessible to all.
kids club
Our Kids Club provides a safe space for children and young people (8-18)with additional needs (mild and moderate) who are able to access the club independently, where they can build positive relationships while taking part in a mixture of fun activities including art, drama, music and sport. This Club is also open to siblings.
When? Alternate Tuesdays, 5-7pm
Where? Moor Lane Centre, Moor Lane, Chessington, KT9 2AA
Cost? £5*
young adults
Our Young Adults Club provides a safe environment for young adults with additional needs aged between 18 and 25.
The Club provides positive activities which are all about having fun, learning new skills and meeting new people.
When? Monday, 8-10pm
Where? Whitton Youth Zone
Cost? £5*
DIGITAL YOUTH CLUB
Digital Youth Club involves a range of online activities for children and young people to enjoy. Dive into our games and fun, share experiences, and build connections with others.
Our sessions are supervised by our Youth Workers, making sure that the space is safe and well-organised.
When? Alternate Thursdays, 6 – 8pm
Where? Please email us for sign-in info
additional services
Check out the Getting Active page for information on a whole range of sports. Find out about dance, art, music and drama here. Or keep scrolling to learn about our range of other services.
Weekend Residentials, Holidays and Day Trips
Our weekend residentials, holidays and day trips give young people the chance to have a change from their normal routines and enjoy doing fun things. They enable children and young people to have time away from home.
We organise regular trips to outdoor learning centres (Hindleap Warren, Woodrow High House and Avon Tyrrell). Activities can include archery, climbing, obstacle courses, zip wires and water sports. We run weekend trips to glamping sites where you might stay in a helicopter or a double decker bus and provide trips to seaside resorts where your days are filled with fun activities and live entertainment. If that wasn't enough, we also organise longer trips including an annual snowsports holiday abroad and a surfing holiday in Wales.
Our emphasis is on young people having fun; however, attendees can also achieve multiple learning outcomes which are delivered through exciting ways while taking part. Young people embark on a personal journey and learn and develop their everyday skills within safe and caring environments.
Each one of these activities, whether it's attending a day trip or spending nights away from home, young people will take part in activities that will help them achieve in a number of developmental areas:
Personal – Developing skills to maximise personal achievement
Physical – increasing physical movement and ability
Knowledge – Growing understanding relating to the wider world
Social – improving behaviours to engage better with others
Emotional – Fostering positive feelings, emotional literacy, and mental health
Our weekend residentials, holidays and day trips are available for children and young people who regularly attend our Youth Clubs.
OUTREACH
As part of our continuing growth, TAG aims to engage with more children and young people and make its resources available to a wider audience. To make this a reality we have developed our Outreach service.
TAG Outreach can be booked by local community groups supporting children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities.
These organisations known as ‘hosts’ are responsible for providing the venue and staff and/or volunteers to support the children/young people they support/invite. TAG will provide fun and stimulating equipment, and facilitate its safe use ensuring its used confidently, and create opportunities for children with disabilities to enjoy leisure in their own communities.
FAMILY & FRIENDS
With lives now busier than ever, finding quality time with the family can be difficult. We run a range of fun filled activities throughout the year for families to enjoy together. We also recognise that many past members who no longer meet the criteria to attend our core activities would still like to have a connection with the charity and our Family and Friends activities provides them with this opportunity. Activities include boat parties, seaside trips, quiz nights and more.
young cARERS
Many of the young people we support have a brother or sister who can also act as a young carer. For us a young carer is a young person who cares, unpaid, for a person who has any type of special educational need or disability. The care they give may be practical, physical, and emotional. Being a young carer can have a big impact on the things that are important to growing up.
The hope is that friendships will be formed within the group and attendees will keep in contact during the period between activity days. This group will allow the young carer to take time out for themselves, socialise and cope with the demands placed on them as carers with other young carers who share similar life experiences.
The Young Carers group will also provide accessible links to youth counselling and other agencies who can give expert advice and information on all issues that affect young carers.
SENSORY LIBRARY
Local families, schools and organisations are able to borrow a wide range sensory items from our Sensory Library.
There are multi-sensory 'books' and kits to enable storytelling for children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Stories are told through voice, touch and emotion rather than via words and pictures.
There is also a range of other equipment including puppets, electronic sensory equipment, games, activity sets and movement kits. There are rainbow rings and giant parachutes - or have an adventure in a Discovery Den that can take you from beneath the waves to beyond the stars!
Download the TAG Sensory Library Catalogue to see what is available then get in touch to arrange a loan.
Access all areas
Each year we organise an afternoon for young people and their families to come together with professionals and service providers to help piece together futures.
If you are or you care for a young person aged up to 25 with a disability or additional needs, come and find out more about what’s available locally. This annual event has a focus on transition to adulthood support and services.
Our drop-in events are your opportunity to meet local providers and learn about their services. Stall holders include education, day services, supported living, support groups, sport and leisure activities.
*activity fund
Our aim is to give everyone the same opportunities to Experience, Learn and Develop. For this reason,
TAG offers a financial support programme for children and young people to be able to access our fun and engaging range of activities.
If you need assistance towards funding an activity or short break, please apply and we will do all that we can to help you. The money available in our fund fluctuates month by month so sadly we are not able to say yes to every application, or always offer the full amounts requested, but we always try to do all we can.
Get in touch to learn more – or download the Activity Fund information sheet and application form to apply.
PLEASE FEEL FREE TO ADD ANY SUPPORTING MATERIAL TO YOUR APPLICATION
Here are some photos of the fun things we do