Guernsey Employment Trust (GET) plays an important part in the community, supporting disabled and neurodiverse people to contribute to society through purposeful work. We have been delighted to welcome Luke Bishop to the gallery, where he has done a fantastic job. We spoke to Poppy Queripel from GET and Luke himself to find out more.
Poppy Queripel, Supported Employment Team Lead, explained GET’s ethos: “GET’s vision is for all disabled people who have the desire to work to be given an opportunity in which to thrive. We are grateful to form partnerships with employers such as Art for Guernsey to create meaningful paid and work experience opportunities for our clients in the community. These collaborations are key to the work of GET supporting disabled and neurodiverse individuals to prepare for work, to find work, and to maintain employment. Work experience placements are particularly valuable for some of our clients to develop new skills and try different industries.”
Luke has had a varied role at the Art for Guernsey Gallery.
“I’ve mainly been helping with preparation for workshops, which are usually for the schools on the island. They will either come to the gallery to use the workshop space, or I will prepare the paper and materials to take to the schools,” he explained. Luke has also helped with the setting up of exhibitions.
Luke is a creative person who especially loves making digital art. “I like to find an unusual way around things. And even though I’m not creating the art for the workshops and exhibitions, I’ve enjoyed both activities as I can see an outcome at the end of it. I find that motivating and I feel like something good is coming from what I’m doing.”
The work done by GET has been appreciated by Art for Guernsey and Luke. “GET has been incredibly helpful in getting me back to work. I’ve really struggled with communicating and they’ve helped me get into a position where I feel comfortable in doing that,” he said.
Poppy added: “It has been fantastic to see Luke’s confidence and enthusiasm grow in a supportive and creative environment. The experience will support Luke on his journey, developing these skills further and helping with his awareness around the expectations of paid employment and working towards this. We are thankful to Art for Guernsey and look forward to working together again in future.”
