What Website Updates Mean For You…

We’ve been closed for a few weeks now, and we want to keep you updated on the changes we are making and why...

Personal note from Jo, Co-Founder and CEO

Hi everyone,

Many of you know me, but for those who do not, I want to share why Learn and Thrive exists and why its future means so much to me.

First and foremost, I am a mum. A mum to three amazing children, one of whom has Down’s syndrome and is now 16. I know the reality of walking this path. We all travel it differently, but I understand the emotions, the frustrations, and the fears that come with raising a child with a learning disability.

My passion, and at times my desperate need to find some sense of control, has shaped my life. I am determined to empower our young people not just to survive, but to thrive. I want them to be respected, valued, included, and protected. I believe that risk is part of life, and that by giving our young people the skills to grab opportunities, we can help them build full and vibrant lives.

For the past 15 years, I have committed myself to this mission. I have learned everything I can about education and SEND, especially the learning profile of those with Down’s syndrome. I have supported families, worked alongside professionals, co-founded a local support group, and now serve as a special school governor. I have seen the challenges from every angle and I have seen the moments of joy and progress that make it all worth it.

So why am I telling you this? Why should you care?

Because at Learn and Thrive, we have had to make some hard choices recently. Every single one has been made with the best interests of our children and young people at heart. They are decisions to protect the legacy of both Teach Me Too and Learning for Life so that these resources are still here for generations to come.

The world is changing, and so must we. But one thing will never change. Our young people will always be at the centre of everything we do. That is what Learn and Thrive is built on.

Jo
Co-Founder & CEO

What are the changes?

Well first up, the website needed some tech-based love, we needed to improve our tracking and review how we can make it more user friendly. While we are restricted by the website on the member area journeys, we hope you like the improved look and just know that the processes behind the scenes are all cleaned up and fit for purpose!

Here at Learn and Thrive we have struggled with some really tough decisions. Our dream is to continue providing not just the video lesson resources, but loads of extra resources to everyone absolutely free of charge. For four years we have done just that. But external events mean things just can’t stay the same. A collapse in charitable giving across the whole sector and changes to how governments support charities are just a few, without even going into how events across the world are impacting the funding we have available… We have to make decisions that allow everything we have delivered so far to remain available and out there for you to use. That’s why we have the super tough decision to charge for the supporting printable resources that accompany our video lessons.

Don’t panic - all the video lessons will always remain absolutely FREE! You can still knock up your own versions of our activities and continue learning with your students. Now, if you want the added ease of pressing print and being ready to roll, we need to ask that you support our services and help fund our resources.

The web pages will work in the same way, with some subtle changes to improve your experience. All that happens now is that the resources will be available to buy on the button next to each of the videos, rather than just a straight download.

Why are we making these changes?

It’s something we do reluctantly, but we need to make some changes. Fundraising has been increasingly challenging in the last year or so, and while we work on other streams of income, the fact is that the money available to charities is decreasing. Grant funders are closing, there are more charities than ever competing for a smaller pot of money, and it’s getting so hard for us to keep going as we are.

We love to be able to offer everything we do for free. It sets us apart and makes sure that our content is totally accessible. Our commitment here remains in the free access to the project and its videos, but as we are one of the exceptionally rare charities and educational organisations (in fact we don’t know anther one) who provide everything for free, we are beginning to see why! We lead with our hearts, sure that we could deliver completely free support forever but times have changed, and to survive, we need to change too!

To be honest, we are ambitious. We always want to push forward, create new content, and provide teaching now, so that fewer young people miss out. But to continue doing this, we need more support, and generating funding through charging for the printable resources is the best avenue at the moment.

It doesn’t solve our funding crisis though; we still need your support. So, if have helped you, we would love it if you could help us. Just check out our support us page to see how.

What does this mean for me?

So we will be removing the current downloads from the website, and each video pack will need to be paid for. As part of this, we will also make sure that we keep increasing what is available, so that you get additional content to make this cost worthwhile.

We’ve also discussed broadly with experts and partners to decide on our price points, and taken into consideration the amount of resources you get in each download.

If you are unable to buy these packs due to financial hardship, please do get in touch. We will be able to offer financial support. No young perosn should miss out due to financial difficulties. We are committed to supporting anyone who comes to us.

For delivery partners - schools and community groups

We will be keeping access to these free. Because of the number of people that you support, we want to keep this free and know that these organisations are often seeking funding themselves, so are in the same boat. If you are in one of these groups, let us know and we can chat to you more about how this will work and how you can gain access.

Next steps…

We are continuing to work hard to get the website fully updated so that you can get back to our content. Once it’s all ready, we will re-open the member areas, and announce through our mailing list and on social media.

And when we relaunch the website, there will be brand new content in the Learning for Life project! Our Online Safety series is finally on it’s way to you!

If you have any questions, or are a delivery partner, then please get in touch.

Thank You

From all of the Learn and Thrive team, it’s a big thank you from all of us. For understanding why we need to make these changes, for loving our content, and for the support (both financial and emotional) you give us to keep going and creating the content we know our community needs.

So thank you! From Jo, Laura, Hannah, and Craig.