Who we are
Neurodivergent Friends in Thanet is a community group helping local Neurodivergent adults meet their peers in safe spaces.
Our mission is to bridge the gap in local resources for Neurodivergent adults, working for positive change in mental health, well-being, community, belonging, self-acceptance, and self-advocacy.
We are not health professionals, social workers, therapists, mental health advisors, Neurodiversity researchers or any other official authority. We are simply a caring group of Neurodivergent adults trying to do something good for our local community.
Our group is not aimed at parents seeking advice as parents of Neurodivergent children and our activities are not suitable for children. However, we understand that many Neurodivergent adults are also parents. It is important to us to break as many barriers as possible for our peers to attend our events and we will be working on finding ways to accommodate parents who may not have access to childcare in the future.
We are for ALL Neurodivergents (Diagnosed/Self-Diagnosed/Questioning
We are 100% Neurodivergent-led
We are Anti-racist
We are LGBTQIA+, Feminist, Fat, & Disability positive
How we define Neurodivergence at NDFT:
Neurodivergent: Someone whose thinking, learning, or mind-body processing diverges from what is commonly or societally expected. This means they experience life in particularly unique ways.
Examples include but are not limited to: ADHD, Anxiety, Autism, Bipolar, C/PTSD, Depression, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, OCD, Tourette Syndrome.
We, at NDFT, view Neurodivergence not as disorders or conditions, but as identities and ways of existing.
Our Welcome Pack & Code of Conduct
We strive to create a welcoming and safe environment for all our community members and collaborators. We ask all our members and collaborators to support this vision by respecting our code of conduct and freely raising any concerns with our team.
What we do
Meetups
- We host a monthly meetup for Neurodivergent adults to meet in safe spaces with their peers.
- These meetups are casual, social events, with games, activities and chatting.
- We generally meet for 2 hours, but you’re free to stay as long as you want within that time.
- Attendance is usually around 15-20 people per meetup.
- We are working on rotating our monthly meetups between the Thanet towns (Margate, Broadstairs, Ramsgate).
Creative Workshops
- We are currently planning a series of creative workshops for our community, pooling together the collective skills of our dedicated team to create an engaging programme of varied events.
- We would love to work with some of you on future iterations of our creative programme, so please get in touch if you have skills or ideas you would like to share.
- Stay tuned on social media or via our newsletter for more info soon!
Community Projects
- Previous community projects:
- A in-situ creative workshop as part of “The indescribable joy of finally knowing who I am” during the POW Festival (March 2023)
- Future plans:
- A festival of events (Talks, Meet-ups, Art Exhibitions) for Neurodiversity Celebration Month.
- A Neurodivergent Celebration Day.
Education and Awareness
- Proactively engaging with other local organisations to better support local Neurodivergent people. Some examples include:
- Regularly advising local organisations to make their events more accessible.
- A talk at the Margate Festival of Design about how graphic design can better support accessibility for Neurodivergent people.
- Talking with local authorities (such as councillors, Thanet District Council, KCC) about what they can do to better support local Neurodivergent people.
Peer Support
- Creating opportunities for peer support:
- Neurodivergent people know best what Neurodivergent people need. This is why we plan to create a peer support programme in Thanet, partnering like-minded Neurodivergent people with each other for support, accountability and more…
