Sibteens

Opening Hearts has been running Sibshops for a few years now, but then we realized we had a problem. Many of the sibs who were too old for Sibshops still wanted to continue getting together and sharing. Opening Hearts decided to introduce Sibteens to our community.

This program allows teenage (13-17) brothers and sisters of children with special needs to connect with their peers. For some, they are meeting for the first time. For others, they are building on friendships built from our other programs. Either way, Sibteens helps to form and strengthen friendships that can provide a lifetime of support.

There are a handful of Sibteen programs in Canada, but none in the Hamilton and surrounding area. Sibteen sessions are less structured than Sibshops, but they will all have a core theme and/or activity, accompanied with the opportunity for the teens to connect and share.

We held our pilot Sibteen session in May 2017. We started with a visit to an escape room. We didn’t escape, but the teens had a great time working together on a common mission. We then closed the evening with a visit to a nearby pizzeria and with time to hang out, connect and have fun.

2018-2109 Sibteen Schedule

Date	Location	Theme
November 2, 2018	Splitsville	Bowling and Pizza
December 7, 2018	Today's Family	Games and Swiss Chalet (Festive)
January 4, 2019	Today's Family	Games and Pizza
February 1, 2019	Hamilton Go-karts	Indoor Go-karting and Pizza
March 1, 2019	Today's Family	Yoga - learn to cope even better
April 5, 2019	Today's Family	Skill-building guest - TBA
May 3-5, 2019	Dragonfly Lodge	Weekend camping at Dragonfly Lodge (camping) Friday night to Sunday noon
June 7, 2019	Today's Family	Games and year-end wrap-up

He came home after a Sibteen session and went right up to his older brother with special needs. He gave him a hug and said "I will look after you forever."

Mom of Sibteen Participant

Sibteens Registration Form

If you are human, leave this field blank.

Sibling Being Registered

First Name *

Last Name *

DOB *

Age

Gender *

Boy

Girl

Parent Information

First Name *

Last Name *

Home Phone *

Alternate Number

Email Address *

The following information helps us plan appropriate educational components of our group. (Optional)

Name of brother or sister with special needs

DOB

Age

Gender

Boy

Girl

What kind of related services (e.g., Speech, Occupational or Physical Therapy, counseling etc.) does this child receive?

Additional Information

What are your goals in enrolling your child in the Sibteens?

Does your child have any food allergies or restrictions?

Is your son/daughter on any medications, or have any health concerns that we should know about?

Waivers and Permissions

I grant full permission to use any photographs, videotapes, motion pictures, recordings or any other record of this program for any purpose.

Yes