Students from Westhill Academy visiting Bennett Hosue as part of their Youth Philanthropy Initiative work
We deliver a comprehensive education platform for schools, community and business settings in line with our mission to make our community more dementia friendly, to reduce stigma and to improve health outcomes for all.
Tiny tots
Our education outreach work includes even our tiniest neighbours. We have relationships with local nurseries and play groups and regularly host groups of pre-school tots at our sessions. The children sing songs, make artwork, or just chat and these visits are always enjoyed by clients and staff alike at Forget Me Not Club!
Studies conducted worldwide suggest that intergenerational projects bring benefits to the younger group as well as the older one. Facilitating contact in this safe and supported way allows both groups to have contact with people at the other end of the age-scale and offers an important vehicle for reducing stigma about other age groups.
School years
We work closely with primary and secondary school across Aberdeen City and Shire - giving talks, hosting visits, supporting fundraising initiatives and especially collaborating with the schools' Youth and Philanthropy Initiative (YPI) projects.
YPI is a wonderful means of young people learning about social causes as well as the nature and challenges of third sector work in their area. Pupils work in teams to research and then deliver a presentation on their choice of charity and social cause, with the winning team from each year group being awarded £3,000 to donate to their chosen charity.
Further education
Forget Me Not Club facilitates learning placements for HNC/HND students from NESCOL and BA/MSc Social Work students from RGU, as well as Modern Apprenticeships for secondary school pupils. We have long standing links with the academic community in the north east of Scotland and are proud of contributing to the shaping of the next generation of social care professionals.
“The setup at Forget Me Not Club is fantastic! The people there, both staff and clients, are very welcoming, friendly and supportive!”
Community groups
We are always happy to give talks to community and business groups. We regularly visit workplaces, public spaces and community groups like Masonic lodges, churches and University of Third Age groups (U3A). We're so proud of the work we do and we want to tell people about it, as well as discussing dementia and brain health in and open and inclusive way.