Activ customer Martin’s open employment prospects have recently expanded with the commencement of volunteer work at Spudshed in Australind.

One of Martin’s independence goals is to get a job.

To support Martin on his path to reach this goal, Activ support worker Rebecca Birch worked with Martin to determine what kind of job he would like.

Following this Rebecca has been advocating alongside Martin for the past 18 months, trying to find a workplace where Martin can undertake volunteer work.

“Martin wanted to work at Woolworths because that’s where he usually shops. However, we weren’t successful with Woolworths so we approached Spudshed, which was a big deal for Martin as he’s never been keen on Spudshed for shopping, so it was a bit out of his comfort zone,” said Rebecca.

“We’ve done a lot of mock trials over the past 18 months to prepare Martin before he meets with a potential employer. We’ve discussed the types of things he might like to talk about with the potential employer, and practised gestures like making eye contact and shaking hands. This has helped to build Martin’s confidence.

“It proved quite difficult getting a workplace to give Martin a go but together we persisted. One hurdle we had with Spudshed was a requirement for Activ to have the necessary insurance to cover Martin working at the supermarket, but Dionne Laurent took this on and upgraded Activ’s insurance to get the required cover needed for Martin to work, which was great.”

Martin was so happy when he got the news that Spudshed would like to offer him volunteer work.

“I work on Thursdays. I stack shelves and get gear from out the back. I also collect trolleys and return them to the bays at the front of the store. Yeah, I like it,” said Martin.

In the future Martin would like to work on the checkout and unload trucks. He would also like to build up his volunteer hours and progress into paid employment.

Along with continuing with the other activities Martin enjoys, including swimming, bocce, carpet bowls, bike riding and guitar, another independence goal he has is to go on a cruise with his sister.

 

We can support you to explore your interests, achieve your goals, and live more independently, just like Martin. To find out more about Activ’s community services, contact our friendly Customer Engagement team via email at hello@activ.asn.au or on 08 9387 0555.