Sabrina Kelly was named Kiama Citizen of the Year, with The Social Club also winning at the Local Government Week Awards. Photo: Keeli Dyson.
A Kiama mum, businesswoman and volunteer who is helping to make the community more inclusive for young people hopes recent success at the town’s Local Government Week Awards will garner support to extend a program for neurodivergent teenagers.
Sabrina Kelly is a familiar face in Kiama, whether it’s volunteering at the public school, connecting like-minded peers or creating her own little community through her before- and after-school care business.
The former primary school teacher started the venture seven years ago after struggling to find care for her own child and seeing the need for a small care service to help support working parents and their kids.
“There’s the guilt of not picking your kid up at the end of the day, leaving them at school until it’s dark, but here it’s a bit softer, it’s like you’re going to a friend’s house,” Sabrina said.
“The parents say it’s like a home away from home. Little things, like if a child turns up and they’ve forgotten crunch and sip, I can chop them up an apple, or if they have an accident, I’ve got a stack of spare uniforms, or even things like not having show-and-tell prepared – we can whip that together.”
The comfortable environment is particularly attractive for those with additional needs, such as autism spectrum disorder, who may not thrive in overstimulating crowded centres with high child-to-educator ratios.
“Because of my special ed background, I have a higher-than-average enrolment of children with additional needs,” Sabrina said.
“My ratio is one to seven, and it’s a much smaller environment and we can deal with things that a bigger centre couldn’t.”
She not only provides a space for the children, but also fosters meaningful connections between kids of different ages.
“It’s a group they wouldn’t necessarily play with at school,” she said. “So they see it like siblings at school that they look out for.”
The importance of socialisation was something that spurred Sabrina and preschool teacher Shayd Flegg to create The Social Club for Neurodivergent Teens.
Beloved Kiama preschool teacher Shayd Flegg joined forces with Sabrina to create The Social Club. Photo: Supplied.
The idea was formed after seeing some children slip through the social cracks once they went into mainstream high school situations.
“I was really sad because I’m losing my kids that were in Year 6 and I’m seeing them struggle,” Sabrina said.
“A lot of these kids may not be sporty, quite often are super anxious in social situations, don’t get invited to birthday parties, or if they do, are too nervous to go.”
Sabrina and Shayd were overwhelmed by expressions of interest.
“We put a little post up on the Kiama Community Page,” Sabrina said. “We were trying to get about five; we got about 50 overnight.
“It was so hard so we just did it, these guys came in first.
“By its very nature we can’t have 50, you can’t have 50 people with social anxiety.”
Ten teens were involved in the pilot, with a particular focus on embracing their individuality and not trying to change them.
“It’s a place where neurodiverse is normal, you don’t have to look someone in the eye, you can rock, you don’t need to wear clothes that are uncomfortable to you. Just be yourself because everyone else is doing it too,” Sabrina said.
“It’s a place where you can just take off the mask and be yourself.”
They received support from the community to ensure that the program was free, with the CWA catering delicious meals and Kiama Community Gardens offering a rent-free space.
And after six months, there were many signs of success, with the club winning the Community Group Award at the Local Government Week Awards.
In addition, Sabrina was named Citizen of the Year for the combination of all her efforts within the community.
“I don’t feel like what I’m doing needs to be recognised. I love it so much that that’s the award,” she said.
“I feel like there should be awards for doing 17 loads of washing on a rainy day or doing your tax return by yourself, all that boring stuff.
“So many people do things and I’m not doing any of it for recognition, I’m doing it because I get so much out of it and that’s enough.”
Now Sabrina and Shayd are in the process of making the club a not-for-profit organisation to provide more opportunities for grants or expansion, with signs already showing that the small program could make a big difference.
“The greatest thing that has come out of it is that now we have finished our six-month pilot, the kids are all connecting with each other,” Sabrina said.
“They have their own WhatsApp group, they hang out on weekends, they’ve found like-minded people.”
To stay up to date or find out more, visit The Social Club Facebook page.
