Compass Advocacy Network (CAN)
Bold and Creative
CAN (Compass Advocacy Network) is a bold and creative organisation supporting children, young people and adults with learning disabilities, autism and mental health issues.
Based in Ballymoney, they work throughout the Causeway Coast and Glens and Mid-Ulster areas providing services on the ground and throughout NI at strategic level, making sure the voices of people with learning disabilities are heard.
Enabling Active Participation
CAN aims to enhance lives and create change by challenging stereotypes & creating opportunities to share best practice, collaborations and partnerships. CAN is focussed on creating long-term solutions for people to be ‘active participants’ as opposed to ‘passive recipients’.
Developing Life Skills
Working with over 450 people, carers and families, CAN is known for innovative practice, offering holistic support opportunities to service users and members – though friendship, social/leisure/work/training/advocacy and signposting. The organisation is proactive and responsive to need, constantly seeking to better serve the community.
Challenging stereotypes and creating opportunities
Opening the door to new opportunities
CAN Bases provide social/leisure opportunities and they have established social enterprises which enable them to generate income, whilst also providing REAL work-based training towards employment for up to 52 people per annum.
Health programmes such as Women Wise and Wise Guys have enabled individuals to access accessible health information from professionals whilst also challenging stereotypes/perceptions and influencing best practice.
Informed and Empowered Citizens
Supporting people become informed and empowered citizens and enabling them to have the same fulfilling and creative opportunities as others is at the core of CAN.
Other partners who are making a difference
Identifying the right network of dedicated and ambitious partners has enabled us to deliver on our charitable purposes and activities. Here are just some of the life-changing projects that our grant partners have been involved in.
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Sólás
Initially established in 2009 as a charity supporting children and young people with a broad range of additional needs including autism and ASD.
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South Belfast Foodbank
Responsible for providing over 270,000 meals to people in crisis and for the distribution of over 200 tonnes of food.
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Flourish NI
Helping survivors of human trafficking not only recover from their traumatic experiences but also to regain self-belief and new skills so that they can lead safe, independent and fulfilled lives.