The Glowsticks Project is a neurodiversity-led charity based in Middlesbrough, created to ensure that no autistic or ADHD young person is left behind in education, training or employment.
From our home in the Dundas Shopping Centre, we run a community hub, café and bakery – but Glowsticks is much more than a place to buy a coffee or something to eat. Our social enterprises are supportive, real-world learning environments where neurodivergent young people and adults can develop skills, build confidence, form friendships and discover what they are capable of.
We are led by people with lived experience. Our founder and chair, Rebecca Ibbotson, is autistic and has ADHD, as do many members of our team. This means that neurodivergent people are not simply consulted about the support we provide: we design it, lead it and continually improve it.
Why Glowsticks Exists
Too many neurodivergent young people grow up being told, directly or indirectly, that they are difficult, incapable or unlikely to succeed.
Many struggle within education systems that were not designed for the way they learn. They may experience exclusion, school-related anxiety, social isolation or repeated misunderstandings of their behaviour and communication. By the time they reach employment age, some have lost confidence in themselves completely.
Traditional education and employability programmes can unintentionally recreate the same pressures. A young person may be expected to cope with unfamiliar people, noisy environments, rigid instructions, rapid transitions and the fear of getting something wrong – all before anyone has taken the time to understand them.
Glowsticks was created because we knew things could be done differently.
We do not begin by asking, “What is wrong with this person?” We ask, “What has happened to them, what barriers are they facing, and what would help them feel safe enough to grow?”
We recognise that behaviour is communication. We understand sensory needs, anxiety, executive functioning difficulties, rejection sensitivity, demand avoidance and the exhaustion that can come from masking. Most importantly, we understand that a person cannot learn effectively while they are overwhelmed or frightened.
More Than Employability
Our café and bakery provide genuine work experience, but employability is only one part of what we offer.
Our social enterprises are staffed by experienced support workers, including people with backgrounds as teaching assistants, youth workers and SEND practitioners. Their role is not simply to supervise a shift or teach someone how to make a coffee. They offer holistic support, helping people to develop communication, emotional regulation, independence, teamwork and everyday life skills alongside vocational experience.
Progress looks different for every person.
For one young person, success might be entering the building for the first time. For another, it could be wearing an apron, speaking to a customer, completing a task independently or coping when something unexpected happens. Someone else may be ready to take on responsibility, become a trainee supervisor or move into paid employment.
We do not measure everybody against the same timetable. We meet people where they are and build from there.
Young people are never expected to walk into an unfamiliar provision without preparation. Before joining Glowsticks, we arrange a meet and greet so that they and their family can see the environment, meet the people who will support them and begin building trust. This is especially important for autistic young people, for whom uncertainty can be a significant source of anxiety.
A Place to Belong
Glowsticks is also about community.
Alongside our social enterprises, we provide youth activities, creative opportunities, social groups and interest-led sessions. These give young people opportunities to meet others without the social pressures they may experience elsewhere.
Shared interests can be a powerful bridge. Activities such as art, gaming, music and Dungeons & Dragons allow friendships to develop naturally, without forcing conversation or expecting young people to socialise in a particular way.
For some of the people we support, Glowsticks is the first place where they have felt genuinely understood. They do not have to hide their stims, pretend not to be anxious or exhaust themselves trying to appear neurotypical. They can communicate in the way that works for them, take space when they need it and return when they are ready.
That sense of belonging is not an optional extra. It is often the foundation from which everything else becomes possible.
Raising Aspirations Without Removing Support
We reject the idea that support and ambition are opposites.
Providing adjustments does not mean lowering expectations. It means removing unnecessary barriers so that somebody has a fair opportunity to demonstrate their abilities.
We have seen people move from needing significant support to serving customers, preparing food, taking responsibility for closing procedures and progressing into paid roles. Some of the people who originally came to Glowsticks for support are now developing as trainee support workers or supervisors themselves.
These achievements do not happen because we pressure people to become less autistic. They happen because we provide consistency, patience, appropriate challenge and relationships built on trust.
We recognise that progress is rarely linear. Someone may have a brilliant week followed by a period in which they need more support. That does not erase what they have achieved. We remain alongside them, adapt where necessary and help them continue.
Led by the Community We Serve
Being neurodiversity-led shapes every part of Glowsticks.
Lived experience helps us notice barriers that other organisations may miss. It informs how we communicate, design environments, manage transitions and respond when somebody becomes overwhelmed. It also enables the young people we support to see neurodivergent adults leading teams, running services and creating change.
Representation matters.
We want young people to know that being autistic or having ADHD does not prevent them from becoming leaders, artists, chefs, support workers, business owners or valued members of their communities.
Our team brings together lived experience and professional knowledge, including youth work, education, safeguarding, SEND support, food service and community development. We maintain strong safeguarding procedures, specialist SEND risk assessments and appropriately qualified staff, while preserving the warmth and flexibility that make Glowsticks feel different from more institutional services.
Why This Work Matters
The consequences of leaving neurodivergent young people unsupported can be profound.
Repeated exclusion and rejection can damage mental health, increase isolation and leave young people vulnerable to exploitation or harm. Families are often left fighting fragmented systems while trying to keep their children safe. Meanwhile, society loses the creativity, honesty, focus, problem-solving ability and unique perspectives that neurodivergent people can bring.
Early, appropriate support can change that path.
A safe place, one trusted adult or one successful experience can begin to rebuild a young person’s belief in themselves. From there, they can develop skills, relationships and aspirations that once felt impossible.
Glowsticks cannot repair every part of the systems that have failed neurodivergent people. But we can build something better within our community- and demonstrate what becomes possible when people are understood rather than judged.
We created the place that so many of us needed when we were younger: a place where difference is not merely tolerated, but valued; where support is not withdrawn when somebody struggles; and where success is defined with the individual, not imposed upon them.
That is who we are, and that is why we do what we do.
Please visit website below:
info@theglowsticksproject.org.uk.
Published: September 22