Welcome to Aspiehelp / The Aspire Trust (Inc)
is a Registered Charitable Trust (CC46192) and also an Incorporated Society under NZ law. (2581107).
We are a "Social-Work-based support service for people affected by Asperger Syndrome", in other words, our support staff all have Asperger Syndrome themselves. This is what makes us uniquely fitted to understand our clients, and be able to communicate with them as "interpreters" of the Neuro-typical world. We began by focusing more on late-diagnosed adults but now find that we have many teenagers and their parents coming to us as well. There is literally no other service that is able to offer the "inside-out" point of view which we have. Teens are entering a life with more opportunities and challenges, and transitions, than previously. Becoming self-aware is important for us all, and we work on these techniques with humour and abiding hope. For many, hope is something they feel they dare not contemplate: but it is essential that the possibility is presented with the confidence of life experience, which we have plenty of!
Our Mission is "to provide a range of effective services focused on enhancing assistance, awareness and inclusion for people affected by Asperger Syndrome". These services are better categorised as "pre-diagnosis assessment and post-diagnosis support". Or, put another way, we work from a social work-based model which includes the above, plus counselling, advocacy, mentoring, advice on education and employment, disability linkages and help in finding accommodation. Following an initial interview, we will construct a plan for future action which may include more sessions of discussion/counselling.
Fees: We now ask for a specific payment for seeing you (as well as payment of a membership subscription) and also welcome donations of whatever you feel you can manage. This is a non-profit organisation and we are almost always on a knife edge financially speaking! We need to be able to show how many people use our services each year when we apply for grants, hence the number of members is very important. Membership also allows you to borrow books from our specialist library, and attend our social evenings. Currently our counsellors are still not paid for their time and expertise. For a schedule of fees see the page under "Aspiehelp services".
We are very happy to address groups and liaise with professional bodies to add to general knowledge about Asperger Syndrome. An appropriate fee is in the region of $75 per hour.
Our Vision is "of a world where the unique gifts and perceptions of people living with Asperger Syndrome are valued, celebrated, encouraged and employed for the enhancement and advancement of all our communities".
Aspiehelp / The Aspire Trust "got off the ground" at the end of 2010, just after the beginning of the long series of disastrous earthquakes which all but destroyed our city. The timing is coincidental on one level, but perhaps not on another. Leith McMurray and Jan Brooking felt that Aspies in Christchurch needed advocacy, mentoring and Social Work Services, and that "it might as well be us" stepping forward to initiate an organisation to take up this challenge. We have been essentially a volunteer organisation. Now, in our eighth year, we see that we are far more professional and effective than many funded organisations. We help people others have put in the "too hard basket" and we are proud of our record. We are able to fill in the gaps between other organisations and spot where extra attention or review is required. We keep a sharp eye out for "ball dropping" where some organisations work to their limitations but do not ensure that their referrals to other agencies are followed through.
The Blogg Family Trust kindly paid a lawyer to arrange our Trust Deed. which made us an official Charitable Trust, in 2010 and it was completed on 16/12/2010. The Cashmere Presbyterian Church had rooms to enable us to organise ourselves and to see people in. The Church has supported us in prayer and encouragement throughout our seven years of development.
We were most kindly assisted by Thea Mickell Services in getting us on the funding pathway, the Community Trust, Lions, Lotteries Board, and the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Trust in providing money to help us establish ourselves as a community resource.
Doors have opened whenever we have needed them to do so, and we found an office, at a time when venues were very hard to find, in the Croft of the Cashmere Presbyterian Church. In 2017 we have "gone up" in the world, to the sunlit rooms on the first floor of Church House, with lovely views over the city. We have also expanded our hours, to 3 days a week. We have a telephone enquiry line during business hours, (11am to 4pm) , and an emergency link to our Manager, Leith McMurray.
In November, 2017, we organised the first "all-Asperger" mini-conference to be held in New Zealand; not so much for professional workers, but for Asperger individuals and families. Practically all speakers were "on the spectrum" and there was an exceptionally friendly Asperger flavoured ambience! We're doing it all again in 2018, by popular request!
As well as this website, we have a page on Facebook (Aspiehelp Christchurch NZ) and publish a monthly newsletter.
is a Registered Charitable Trust (CC46192) and also an Incorporated Society under NZ law. (2581107).
We are a "Social-Work-based support service for people affected by Asperger Syndrome", in other words, our support staff all have Asperger Syndrome themselves. This is what makes us uniquely fitted to understand our clients, and be able to communicate with them as "interpreters" of the Neuro-typical world. We began by focusing more on late-diagnosed adults but now find that we have many teenagers and their parents coming to us as well. There is literally no other service that is able to offer the "inside-out" point of view which we have. Teens are entering a life with more opportunities and challenges, and transitions, than previously. Becoming self-aware is important for us all, and we work on these techniques with humour and abiding hope. For many, hope is something they feel they dare not contemplate: but it is essential that the possibility is presented with the confidence of life experience, which we have plenty of!
Our Mission is "to provide a range of effective services focused on enhancing assistance, awareness and inclusion for people affected by Asperger Syndrome". These services are better categorised as "pre-diagnosis assessment and post-diagnosis support". Or, put another way, we work from a social work-based model which includes the above, plus counselling, advocacy, mentoring, advice on education and employment, disability linkages and help in finding accommodation. Following an initial interview, we will construct a plan for future action which may include more sessions of discussion/counselling.
Fees: We now ask for a specific payment for seeing you (as well as payment of a membership subscription) and also welcome donations of whatever you feel you can manage. This is a non-profit organisation and we are almost always on a knife edge financially speaking! We need to be able to show how many people use our services each year when we apply for grants, hence the number of members is very important. Membership also allows you to borrow books from our specialist library, and attend our social evenings. Currently our counsellors are still not paid for their time and expertise. For a schedule of fees see the page under "Aspiehelp services".
We are very happy to address groups and liaise with professional bodies to add to general knowledge about Asperger Syndrome. An appropriate fee is in the region of $75 per hour.
Our Vision is "of a world where the unique gifts and perceptions of people living with Asperger Syndrome are valued, celebrated, encouraged and employed for the enhancement and advancement of all our communities".
Aspiehelp / The Aspire Trust "got off the ground" at the end of 2010, just after the beginning of the long series of disastrous earthquakes which all but destroyed our city. The timing is coincidental on one level, but perhaps not on another. Leith McMurray and Jan Brooking felt that Aspies in Christchurch needed advocacy, mentoring and Social Work Services, and that "it might as well be us" stepping forward to initiate an organisation to take up this challenge. We have been essentially a volunteer organisation. Now, in our eighth year, we see that we are far more professional and effective than many funded organisations. We help people others have put in the "too hard basket" and we are proud of our record. We are able to fill in the gaps between other organisations and spot where extra attention or review is required. We keep a sharp eye out for "ball dropping" where some organisations work to their limitations but do not ensure that their referrals to other agencies are followed through.
The Blogg Family Trust kindly paid a lawyer to arrange our Trust Deed. which made us an official Charitable Trust, in 2010 and it was completed on 16/12/2010. The Cashmere Presbyterian Church had rooms to enable us to organise ourselves and to see people in. The Church has supported us in prayer and encouragement throughout our seven years of development.
We were most kindly assisted by Thea Mickell Services in getting us on the funding pathway, the Community Trust, Lions, Lotteries Board, and the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Trust in providing money to help us establish ourselves as a community resource.
Doors have opened whenever we have needed them to do so, and we found an office, at a time when venues were very hard to find, in the Croft of the Cashmere Presbyterian Church. In 2017 we have "gone up" in the world, to the sunlit rooms on the first floor of Church House, with lovely views over the city. We have also expanded our hours, to 3 days a week. We have a telephone enquiry line during business hours, (11am to 4pm) , and an emergency link to our Manager, Leith McMurray.
In November, 2017, we organised the first "all-Asperger" mini-conference to be held in New Zealand; not so much for professional workers, but for Asperger individuals and families. Practically all speakers were "on the spectrum" and there was an exceptionally friendly Asperger flavoured ambience! We're doing it all again in 2018, by popular request!
As well as this website, we have a page on Facebook (Aspiehelp Christchurch NZ) and publish a monthly newsletter.
info @ aspiehelp.com www.aspiehelp.com ph. (03) 337-6337 or (03) 337-2008
Aspiehelp / The Aspire Trust (Inc) proudly supported by:
Aspiehelp / The Aspire Trust (Inc) proudly supported by:
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