How YES is supporting its local neurodiverse community Mar 18, 2024

This Neurodiversity Celebration Week, YES Energy Solutions is handing the mic over to its neurodivergent colleagues, in a comprehensive, peer-led campaign.

Led by YES Energy Solution's Wellbeing team, a subsidiary of the marketing and communications department, the campaign aims to educate neurotypical peers by tapping into the lives of their neurodivergent colleagues in and out of work.

YES approached the campaign with a community-first approach, making a £300 donation to local charity, West Yorkshire ADHD Support Group.

The group started as a social media forum for people to share their experiences, then operated as a community interest company, before achieving charity status in May 2022.

They offer various sessions to help those with ADHD access the support they need, and deliver events to the local neurodivergent community, from a nails and network session to Lazer Zone visits for ADHD teens.

"I recommended WYADHD Support Group to (YES' Commercial Director) Alex as, having been a member of the Facebook group, I have seen first-hand how they have helped people and grown over the years," said Chloe Jackson, Marketing Administrator and Wellbeing team member at YES.

"I was utterly thrilled when Alex agreed, and we made the £300 donation in late Feb. As a member of the ADHD community, it's been amazing to build this campaign and hear from my peers about how they navigate the neurotypical world as someone who is neurodivergent."

The campaign offers a fresh perspective to those who are new to the world of neurodifferences, and a platform to those who would like to help educate and raise awareness.

YES Chief Executive Duncan McCombie said: "We are all different, and that single fact should be seen as a strength. I celebrate the differences and don’t worry if people are not the same as me. Thank goodness they are not. The world would be a rather boring place.

"The differences we have are strengths and we should not see them as challenges or weaknesses, in ourselves or others. Neurodiversity is simply a variation of the human brain. But it is also personal. It shapes our identity, how we see ourselves and the value we can give. We can all take a bit more time to understand people we work and interact with.

"We all interact and interpret the world in unique ways, this can sometimes create challenges. But it can also lead to a much richer benefit, through different problem-solving approaches. That in turn leads to a better YES and a better world."

To learn more about how YES is supporting its community, read about our CIC activities here.

And if you work for a business looking to partner with a community interest company, give us a call on 01422 880 100 to see how we can help you support your local community, from work experience to volunteering opportunities.

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