Jen Cush
Jen Cush is the founder and Executive Officer of Hunter Circles, an organisation committed to building Circles of Support with people with disability who are profoundly isolated, including people who have lived in institutions or experienced long-term exclusion.
With 30 years’ experience working alongside people with disability, families and communities, Jen focuses on strengthening relationships, sharing power and building Circles of Support — small groups of friends and allies who gather around a person as they pursue the life they choose. Her work is grounded in the belief that safety and a good life grow through relationships — that it’s people who keep people safe and give life meaning.
Jen brings a perspective that combines community development, advocacy and a deep belief in the wisdom of lived experience. She works closely alongside leaders with disability, recognising that people who have experienced isolation hold the clearest insights about what needs to change. Together, they explore how communities can share responsibility for inclusion and safeguarding.
She hopes audiences leave with a renewed sense that communities have an important role to play in creating lives of belonging, and that small groups of people coming together can help make big change possible.
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King of my castle: Finding home
This presentation will share Rob King’s story of finding his own home after years living in institutions, and what it means to be king of his own castle; having control over his life, his space, and his future.
Having a home is more than having a house. This session will explore how relationships and connections with people in the local community help create the foundation for truly individualised homes and lives. When people are known, respected and connected, home becomes a place of belonging, not just somewhere to live.
Together, Rob King and Jen Cush will share their work in the Hunter region, establishing foundation Circles of Support with people who have left institutions. These small groups of friends and allies gather around a person to support them in building lives of belonging in their communities.
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Building connections one step at a time
This session is about taking one step at a time to build community connections. As Michael Kendrick says, “The gathering of a few is always begun by the actions of one.”
Jen Cush shares a practical approach to starting from the ground up, where connection begins with one person, one place, one shared interest. Drawing on experience working alongside people who have been deeply isolated, Jen explores how connections can grow in everyday community life, the role of Social Connectors, and how these relationships may, over time, form the foundation of a Circle of Support. She’ll talk about:
- what “starting from scratch” can look like
- how to find the right people and places in community
- how Social Connectors can help
- how small connections can grow into something more over time
The session offers a few ways to begin, while recognising that each situation is different and that this work takes time. There’s no one right way to do this: You’ll be invited to take what feels useful and go at your own pace.