{"id":12,"date":"2023-03-11T14:55:43","date_gmt":"2023-03-11T14:55:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/edmontoncircleoffriends.org\/?page_id=12"},"modified":"2023-09-13T00:19:59","modified_gmt":"2023-09-13T00:19:59","slug":"circle-of-friends","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/edmontoncircleoffriends.org\/","title":{"rendered":"Learn about Edmonton Circle of Friends"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Who We Are<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Edmonton Circle of Friends Society was founded in 2011 in response to the needs of the developmentally disabled community. Circle of Friends is a faith-based community service incorporated under the Societies Act of Alberta and is a Registered Charity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why We Exist<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>People with developmental disabilities are among the most marginalized groups in our society, often ostracized from mainstream life and communities, including faith communities.&nbsp;Developmentally disabled people are at greater risk of being subjected to discrimination and abuse, sometimes with limited support options. Families and caregivers for those with developmental disabilities experience a heavy burden of responsibility: often wrestling with loneliness, depression and exhaustion.&nbsp;We are compelled to come alongside those with a developmental disability and their families. Our goal is to nurture engaged communities that reflect inclusion and opportunity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Our Vision<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Edmonton Circle of Friends Society\u2019s vision is a world where:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Community groups, including faith communities, ensure inclusive spaces for people with developmental disabilities..<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Community groups, including faith communities, have access to the information and support they need to inclusively reach out to people with developmental disabilities.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>People with developmental disabilities are given an opportunity to work and contribute to the full measure of their abilities.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Families and caregivers for the developmentally disabled have a supportive, understanding community that they can turn to for support.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>People with developmental disabilities are valued and cherished members of society.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What We Do<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Currently Edmonton Circle of Friends:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Facilitates gatherings for people with developmental disabilities and their families and caregivers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Offers individuals with developmental disabilities and their families support in navigating the search for resources and assistance.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Sponsors \u201cEmployment University\u201d, a program designed to help prepare young adults with developmental disabilities for paid or volunteer employment.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Provides peer-to-peer support to individuals with developmental disabilities<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Provides support to the families of those with developmental disabilities.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Assists community groups and organizations who want to learn how to better include the developmentally disabled in their community.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Employment University<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/edmontoncircleoffriends.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/IMG_20230311_083008-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"A room with the Cirle of Friends logo painted on the wall with student names written underneath. A large table takes up the room with several chairs and one couch surrounding it. There are bulletin boards on the wall with posters for instruction.\" class=\"wp-image-25\" srcset=\"https:\/\/edmontoncircleoffriends.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/IMG_20230311_083008-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/edmontoncircleoffriends.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/IMG_20230311_083008-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/edmontoncircleoffriends.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/IMG_20230311_083008-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/edmontoncircleoffriends.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/IMG_20230311_083008-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/edmontoncircleoffriends.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/IMG_20230311_083008.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Circle of Friends Learning Centre<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Employment University, known as \u201cEU\u201d, is a program for neuroatypical youth and young adults which provides a safe yet challenging environment where they can develop the social skills, life skills and confidence necessary to reach their full potential in the adult world.&nbsp;EU opened its doors in the fall of 2017.&nbsp; The curriculum is dynamic and shaped to meet the needs of participants.&nbsp; It draws on the work of Michelle Garcia Winner as well as the \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.goodreads.com\/book\/show\/12325235-facing-your-fears\">Facing Your Fears<\/a>\u201d Program of <a href=\"https:\/\/som.cuanschutz.edu\/Profiles\/Faculty\/Profile\/9993\">Judy Reaven<\/a> <em>et al<\/em>.&nbsp; Brittany Brunell\u2019s \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/everydayspeech.com\/about-everyday-speech\/\">Everyday Speech<\/a>\u201d resources are also heavily used.&nbsp;The Employment<em>Works <\/em>Canada framework is used as a vehicle to help participants learn to apply these skills in a workplace context.&nbsp; To date over 50% of EU participants have been able to apply their learning in a workplace setting on an ongoing basis. EU is led by James Greengrass, a Professional Certified Coach of the International Coaching Federation.&nbsp; James\u2019 professional reflections on his experience with EU, \u201c<em><a href=\"https:\/\/coachingfederation.org\/blog\/in-an-unknown-tongue\">In an Unknown Tongue<\/a><\/em>\u201d, were published in <em>Coaching World <\/em>in August 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Our Founders<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Dr. David and Orla Nicholas bring many years of service to the community.&nbsp; Over the last twenty years, they increasingly have been involved in programs for people with developmental disabilities and other challenges.&nbsp; Their dream is an inclusive and accepting world for people with neurodiversity, including the widespread opportunity for community engagement for people with developmental disabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Orla and David are the founders of the Edmonton Circle of Friends Society.&nbsp; David currently serves as the Chair of the Board of Directors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Contact Us<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Edmonton Circle of Friends<br>14320-94 St. NW<br>EDMONTON, AB&nbsp; T5E 3W2<br>(780) 984-6807<br>circle.friends@shaw.ca<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Who We Are Edmonton Circle of Friends Society was founded in 2011 in response to the needs of the developmentally disabled community. Circle of Friends is a faith-based community service incorporated under the Societies Act of Alberta and is a Registered Charity. Why We Exist People with developmental disabilities are among the most marginalized groups&hellip;&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/edmontoncircleoffriends.org\/\" class=\"\" rel=\"bookmark\">Read More &raquo;<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Learn about Edmonton Circle of Friends<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"neve_meta_sidebar":"","neve_meta_container":"","neve_meta_enable_content_width":"","neve_meta_content_width":0,"neve_meta_title_alignment":"","neve_meta_author_avatar":"","neve_post_elements_order":"","neve_meta_disable_header":"","neve_meta_disable_footer":"","neve_meta_disable_title":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-12","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Learn about Edmonton Circle of Friends - Circle of Friends<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Edmonton Circle of Friends Society was founded in 2011 in response to the needs of the developmentally disabled community. We are compelled to come alongside those with a developmental disability and their families. Our goal is to nurture engaged communities that reflect inclusion and opportunity.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/edmontoncircleoffriends.org\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Learn about Edmonton Circle of Friends - Circle of Friends\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Edmonton Circle of Friends Society was founded in 2011 in response to the needs of the developmentally disabled community. We are compelled to come alongside those with a developmental disability and their families. Our goal is to nurture engaged communities that reflect inclusion and opportunity.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/edmontoncircleoffriends.org\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Circle of Friends\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-09-13T00:19:59+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/edmontoncircleoffriends.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/IMG_20230311_083008-1024x768.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/edmontoncircleoffriends.org\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/edmontoncircleoffriends.org\/\",\"name\":\"Learn about Edmonton Circle of Friends - Circle of Friends\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/edmontoncircleoffriends.org\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2023-03-11T14:55:43+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-09-13T00:19:59+00:00\",\"description\":\"Edmonton Circle of Friends Society was founded in 2011 in response to the needs of the developmentally disabled community. We are compelled to come alongside those with a developmental disability and their families. Our goal is to nurture engaged communities that reflect inclusion and opportunity.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/edmontoncircleoffriends.org\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/edmontoncircleoffriends.org\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/edmontoncircleoffriends.org\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/edmontoncircleoffriends.org\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Learn about Edmonton Circle of Friends\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/edmontoncircleoffriends.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/edmontoncircleoffriends.org\/\",\"name\":\"Circle of Friends\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/edmontoncircleoffriends.org\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Learn about Edmonton Circle of Friends - Circle of Friends","description":"Edmonton Circle of Friends Society was founded in 2011 in response to the needs of the developmentally disabled community. We are compelled to come alongside those with a developmental disability and their families. Our goal is to nurture engaged communities that reflect inclusion and opportunity.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/edmontoncircleoffriends.org\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Learn about Edmonton Circle of Friends - Circle of Friends","og_description":"Edmonton Circle of Friends Society was founded in 2011 in response to the needs of the developmentally disabled community. We are compelled to come alongside those with a developmental disability and their families. Our goal is to nurture engaged communities that reflect inclusion and opportunity.","og_url":"https:\/\/edmontoncircleoffriends.org\/","og_site_name":"Circle of Friends","article_modified_time":"2023-09-13T00:19:59+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/edmontoncircleoffriends.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/IMG_20230311_083008-1024x768.jpg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/edmontoncircleoffriends.org\/","url":"https:\/\/edmontoncircleoffriends.org\/","name":"Learn about Edmonton Circle of Friends - Circle of Friends","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/edmontoncircleoffriends.org\/#website"},"datePublished":"2023-03-11T14:55:43+00:00","dateModified":"2023-09-13T00:19:59+00:00","description":"Edmonton Circle of Friends Society was founded in 2011 in response to the needs of the developmentally disabled community. We are compelled to come alongside those with a developmental disability and their families. Our goal is to nurture engaged communities that reflect inclusion and opportunity.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/edmontoncircleoffriends.org\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/edmontoncircleoffriends.org\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/edmontoncircleoffriends.org\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/edmontoncircleoffriends.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Learn about Edmonton Circle of Friends"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/edmontoncircleoffriends.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/edmontoncircleoffriends.org\/","name":"Circle of Friends","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/edmontoncircleoffriends.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/edmontoncircleoffriends.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/12","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/edmontoncircleoffriends.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/edmontoncircleoffriends.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edmontoncircleoffriends.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/edmontoncircleoffriends.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/edmontoncircleoffriends.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/12\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31,"href":"https:\/\/edmontoncircleoffriends.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/12\/revisions\/31"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/edmontoncircleoffriends.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}