About the community group/organisation/individual 

Formerly Dyslexia Support Southland, Learning Differences Aotearoa Trust provides support for people who have learning differences, such as dyslexia through workshops for adults and children. 

What the grant went towards 

Learning Differences Aotearoa Trust received a combined grant of $11,000 from the Invercargill Licensing Trust and ILT Foundation towards running the children’s workshop Growing Stars for a period of 12 months. 

Growing Stars helps children aged 6-12 years and their parents/caregivers manage the emotional impact of living with a learning difference or difficulty. 

The workshop is based on fun, hands on activities to help the children identify and connect to their feelings of worry, anxiety and frustration, particularly in relation to their learning at school. 

What the grant means to the community group/organisation 

Learning Differences adviser Chris Cole said the funding made it possible to subsidise the cost of the workshops for participants. 

“It is really important everyone has access [to the workshops] regardless of their financial circumstances,” she said. 

“What the ILT Foundation does makes it accessible to the people of Invercargill. 

“We wouldn’t be able to do this if we didn’t get this support,”