Meet Lauren Feeney, our new ‘I Can’ Project Co-ordinator and Youth Engagement officer
Meet Lauren Feeney, our new ‘I Can’ Project Co-ordinator and Youth Engagement Officer
We are delighted to welcome Lauren back to our staff team. Lauren has previously worked as a Youth Worker with our D.A.V.E. project and play scheme. She will be heading up our new ‘I Can’ youth project. Here is Lauren telling Annie, our Operations Manager, a little bit about herself and her plans for I Can:
Q: Hello Lauren; we are really happy that you have re-joined us at MDC. Would you tell our newsletter audience a little about your background?
I am profoundly Deaf and bilingual in both BSL and English. I am the only Deaf person in my family, with everyone else hearing and not able to sign. I was fortunate enough to experience both the hearing and Deaf worlds at the same time growing up, but that didn’t come without the barriers I’ve had to deal with every day. Due to my experiences, I then became actively involved within the Deaf community to try to help find solutions to overcome barriers that we all have to navigate through. Since 2014, I’ve worked with many young deaf people of all ages both here in the UK and abroad. In 2019, I spent three months volunteering educating young deaf people in Kenya. I love travelling and learning other signed languages; so far I know ten different ones, and I am a qualified International Sign Language Interpreter/Translator. There are about 300 signed languages around the world though, and I aim to learn more!
Q: Who is the I Can Project for?
This project is for 16-24 year old Deaf, Deafblind, and CODA (Children of Deaf Adults) who live in the Greater Manchester area.
Q: What plans are you making for the project at the moment?
I’m in the middle of creating a fantastic individual personalised career development pack for each participant for when they join the first session of the I Can Project.
Q: What do you personally hope to achieve in your role as I Can Project Co-ordinator?
Personally, I hope to see the project participants achieve their outcomes (gaining jobs, training, and plentiful interviews in the real-life world. Also, I hope to build on networking with as many organisations as possible for the best accessibility to resources and tools for the participants of the project.
Q: Are there any dates/times as yet when people can join in?
We aim to have our first session at the end of June…keep an eye on our social media updates via Facebook etc for information.
Q: How should people contact you if they want to join in and get involved?
To become involved with the I Can Project, for more information or to refer a young person, please contact me: laurenfeeney@manchesterdeafcentre.com or by text only to 07462827526.
