My Journey with ubu
My journey began in 1992, as a service Manager for a shared house in Harrogate, at that time ubu had 5 supports, 30 years later and we now have over 80 supports, incredible!
The past 30 years have been an extraordinary journey of change and discovery, not only in the way we have evolved to ensure we provide the best possible service to the people we serve but also personally in terms of personal growth, relationships and challenge.
As I continue to travel through the journey, inspiration and guidance comes from the colleagues and People We Serve that I meet along the way. The People We Serve never fail to keep my feet on the ground, they also have provided much laughter, love, and friendship that they will stay in my heart always. Colleagues have provided care and support, at times when I have had doubts or struggled in my role.
In terms of personal growth the main turning points have to include:
Away days and Training events, as well as the inventive and creative experiential learning they provided, who would have thought I would have been: a Clown, a Cave women, Medieval Princess, ABBA tribute, a Witch, Cowboy/ or cowgirl (whatever is PC these days.) a Waitress, Aladdin, Harry Potter, Jungle explorer, Police officer.
One of the most memorable Learning events was the Horse whispering, not only when participating in this myself, and learning that it was my behaviour that had an influence on how others interacted with me, but also when I witnessed a Person We Serve interact with a horse, and how that interaction allowed the Person We Serve to express his feelings of grief. This touching moment will stay with me forever.
Other challenges of self-discovery have included, Sheep Herding, Firewalking, Arrow breaking, Husky sledding, and taking a Leap of faith. Where else would I have had the opportunity to do this?
Looking outside to see inwards, by this I mean looking to different organisations, and people to help us understand and envision an alternative and new ways of doing things.
By being a part of this I have been privileged to have traveled to Australia, Hungary, Bratislava, and Ireland.
The journey continues… It may change but it goes on…
Thank you ubu!
