OUR GOAL

To build an ACTIVITIES CENTRE for people with disabilities and /or mental illness and community use on our land at 11 Grove Street, Atherton.

Tableland Community Link (TCL) is a not for profit organisation in the small community of Atherton in North Queensland. TCL provides support on an individual basis and in group settings for people with disabilities and/or mental illness to have opportunities that increase their connection and sense of belonging within their community.

This includes all types of community options that compliment a holistic lifestyle. The support is negotiated between the person with the disability and/or advocate and the service. Support Workers direct their efforts towards increasing the independence of the person with the ultimate aim of complete community interconnection wherever possible.

Our wish is that people with disabilities are welcomed, valued, accepted and have a genuine sense of belonging within their community. People with disabilities have the same rights as other community members in regards to everyday life experiences, opportunities and responsibilities. They also have a lot to offer if they are given the opportunity to link into their community. We provide the support to bridge the gap between their ambitions and dreams and the barriers that society (often unwittingly) put before them.

OUR VISION

To provide a dedicated space for marginalised people in the community to have a social life and practice self-expression. We have already proven the idea works using premises that have proven to be unsuitable for the long term.

WHY?

TCL realised there was very limited opportunity for clients to gather together, with disability access for group activities. In 2009 after lots of research and thought we distributed a local survey to gauge the community’s response and input to the idea of an activities room – the project was named Tic Tac Toe. The overwhelming response was positive. Planning commenced, however lack of available funding halted progress.

Through the process of the survey and advertising our intentions, TCL was gifted a room from Lions in the old primary school that is currently being used as an Activities Room. It has been highly successful. Clients enjoy music sessions, movie days, art and crafts and group meetings. With assistance from their support workers they conduct their own monthly meetings and discuss and plan activities they want to do and be involved with in their community. Other organisations that support people with disabilities or mental health issues in our community have also been invited to utilise it.

The validity of the idea has been tested and successful. Now the issue is space. When all the clients gather in the room together (many of who are in wheelchairs) the room is too small. They need more room and resources to take full advantage of their interests and talents. The platform has been provided for them to negotiate what they want to contribute to the community, now they need the space to allow their dreams to grow and to allow more opportunities for them to bridge that gap within their community.

BENEFITS TO THE COMMUNITY

The activities centre will increase opportunities for positive community experiences for those in our community who have disabilities and/or mental illness and their families and carers. Not just the clients of TCL, but everyone in our community could benefit.

It will be their centre, facilitated by our service. There is no building available (that we can afford to utilise) for community events that has suitable access and availability for our clients, their families and others in our region for use on a regular basis for community linking.

It is a basic human right that everyone is entitled to numerous and positive interactions with people in their community regardless of the type or degree of disability or mental illness. The activities room will help increase the profile of those in our community with disabilities and/or mental illness.

The Activities Centre will benefit the community as a whole. We can offer it to various community groups for workshops, training sessions, music/dance activities, sporting activities, social support activities, coffee mornings, fundraisers for charities…the list is endless. It would be a place where the community can come together to enjoy group activities, social support, and public information that will enrich the lives of the residents of the Tablelands.

At certain times of the year we have persistent wet weather which severely limits options for community linking. We also get severe cyclones in the far north, so the centre could be used to host a post weather event. The Centre could help address community problems such as racism, sexism, crime and violence in our community through enriching people’s lives and occupying their time with many activities that bring together diverse groups within the community. With a population of over 40,900 people on the Atherton Tablelands we believe an Activities Centre would be an enormous asset to our community.

HOW CAN YOU HELP…???

We need you, we have a range of fundraising programs running, and we gratefully accept donations.

TCL is a deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) Item 1 and holds a Tax concession charity status (TCC).