This document discusses the importance of focusing on an individual's inner spirit and strengths rather than just their challenges or disabilities. It describes Kim, who has an inner light or warmth that comes out more when he is well, included, and the center of attention. It emphasizes really listening to understand others beyond just their words, such as through shared activities. Finally, it suggests practices like meditation, relaxation, yoga and body scanning to help connect with one's inner spirit and intuition, which can provide strength and peace to better handle life's stresses.

1. Family

3. There’s a light inside Kim - it’s like a
warm candle glowing. It’s all orangey.
Sometimes the candle gets blown out
and the warmth stops, but if you pay a
bit of attention to him it comes back.
Sometimes the light goes out when he
is poorly, sometimes the light goes out
when he is excluded. It glows most
brightly when he is well and when he is
at the centre of things.
Jessie Murray, his sister

4. Think of a time when you have
been aware that your spirit was
strong?
What was happening? Where were
you?
How did you feel? How long did
that feeling last?

5. Focus on the
Real Wealth
of individuals,
families and
communities

6. Listening is more than pointing your ears in
someone’s direction and computing the
words that come out of their mouths.
Listening can mean going for a walk with
someone and noticing what captures their
interest. It can mean learning to recognise
situations in which a person becomes upset,
or becomes animated; it can mean watching a
person’s movements, or the activities they
choose over others; it can mean creating
opportunities for that person to experience
new things and observing their response. It
can mean holding a person when they cry.

7. Addressing inner and outer
experience
1. What can we do to help
ourselves?
2. What kind of help do we
need from the state and our
local communities?

8. Putting Real Wealth into
practice:
1:1 advocacy
Mentoring families
Groups of children and young people – through
performing arts
Workshops with parents – Keeping Yourself Strong
Social events for the whole family
Working with Personal Assistants

9. Connecting with our inner
spirit,
listening to our intuition:
Meditation
Relaxation
Yoga
Body scanning

10. “The body scan helps to
recharge our batteries and
re-energise us. This gives
us an inner strength and
peace that helps with
stresses and challenges on

11. “I just sat in the car for 5 minutes before going into
the
meeting about my son. It was strange but I found
that
when I did go into the meeting I ignored some of
the things
that would have wound me up in the
Past, and I concentrated on the things I really
wanted to know how this is working but my son
“I don’t
getis now I felt OK when I left. I night for the first
done. sleeping through the will definitely do
that again” has never done this before. It seems
time. He
that he is picking up on my new found calm
and it is helping him settle at night.”

12. pippa@ibkinitiatives.com
www.ibkinitiatives.com