Building confidence, identity, connection and independence

Atypical Pathways is a mentoring and community participation program designed for young people living with disability, complex behavioural needs and/or complex communication.

The program supports young people to build confidence, identity, social connection and independence through meaningful relationships, real-world experiences and activity-based learning.

Participants are matched with mentors and support workers who provide positive role modelling, guidance and encouragement, helping them navigate challenges and develop important life skills.

Atypical Pathways is delivered through flexible mentoring and community participation supports that may take place:

• At Atypical Farm in Cranbourne South
• In the local community
• In-home, where appropriate

Every pathway begins with a spark

Atypical Solutions is a farm-based NDIS provider set across 25 acres in Cranbourne South. Our farm provides a calm, supportive and inspiring environment filled with animals, creative spaces, a horticulture garden, kitchen programs and the CLEO (Connect, Learn, Entrepreneurial, Opportunity) Pod.

Every day, participants are already creating, learning, contributing and discovering new interests across these spaces.

The Pathways Program allows us to recognise those moments and take that spark a little further.

It encourages us to look beyond the activity happening in front of us and ask:

What is this participant interested in?

What would they love to learn?

What strengths are beginning to emerge?

What would they like to contribute?

Where could this experience lead next?

These questions are where an Atypical pathway begins.

What is the Pathways Program?

The Pathways Program is a participant-led approach to building skills, confidence, independence and greater autonomy through meaningful, real-life experiences.

Every participant’s pathway will be different. Some may arrive with a clear dream, goal or idea. Others may discover a new interest during an Atypical day at the farm.

A pathway may involve creating something, contributing something, learning something or working toward something.

A participant might develop a new technique, choose their own resources, plan a project, work toward completing it across several sessions or build the confidence to share what they have achieved with somebody else.

What they create may be taken home, shared with family, given as a gift, donated, displayed, used around the farm or eventually offered for sale.

The value is not determined by where it ends up.

The value is in what the participant discovered, practised and achieved along the way.

From interest to opportunity

When a participant would like to take an interest further, Atypical can support them to explore what the next step might look like.

This could involve:

• Practising and developing a skill
• Planning and completing a personal project
• Creating something meaningful for themselves or their family
• Contributing to the farm or wider community
• Donating something they have grown, made or prepared
• Displaying their work in the on-site Creation Station
• Exploring a creator or small-business identity
• Developing practical skills in planning, budgeting and communication
• Sharing their creations through one of our partnered community markets
• Exploring future volunteering, training or employment opportunities

The pathway can grow, pause, change direction or finish whenever it needs to.

There is no required destination and no expectation that every participant will follow the same stages.

Success is not measured by how much money is made or whether a participant reaches a particular destination.

Success may look like trying something new, making a choice, completing a project, gaining confidence, contributing to the community or discovering an interest they did not know they had.

How it becomes part of Atypical

The Pathways Program is not a separate program sitting beside what Atypical already does. It helps us recognise, connect and build upon the meaningful opportunities already happening across the farm.

Support workers can explore participants’ interests during their usual sessions and connect these experiences with their individual goals.

The wider Atypical team can contribute knowledge, encouragement, resources and practical support according to the direction of each participant’s pathway. The CLEO Pod can help bring together ideas, learning and entrepreneurial opportunities when a participant is ready to take something further.

Our role is to notice the spark, listen to the participant and help create the next meaningful opportunity.

Our vision

The Pathways Program exists because every person deserves opportunities to discover their strengths, make meaningful choices and build greater autonomy over their own life.

It is not about deciding where somebody’s pathway should lead.

It is about giving them the support, space and opportunity to discover where it could.

Participants are thoughtfully matched with mentors based on their personality, interests and support needs.

Where appropriate, gender-matched mentoring is prioritised to promote relatability, safety and trust. Mentors provide positive role modelling and support young people to build healthy relationships and confidence.

Atypical Pathways supports participants to develop:

• Confidence and self-esteem
• Social connection and belonging
• Emotional regulation skills
• Independence and life skills
• Community participation
• Positive role modelling and leadership

• Entreprenurial skills

The Atypical Pathways Program can be accessed through:

• Core Supports – Assistance with Social and Community Participation / Group Activities Standard
• Capacity Building – Increased Social and Community Participation / Skill Development and Training

Supports are tailored to each participant’s individual goals and support needs.

Atypical Farm – Cranbourne South

Programs operate Monday - Saturday from 10:00am – 6:00pm, with supports available on the farm, in the community or in-home depending on participant goals.