Report of Music Relief Enriching Lives Summer Activities

July 23rd – Aug 15th, 2019

As a Youth worker, my duties included making sure the young people were safe, ushering kids to and from the various events, ensuring parents/ carers were informed whenever there was a travel day and most importantly, making sure everyone had fun!

The summer activities included Horse Riding, Mountain Bike Riding, Ice Skating, Fencing, Foot training, going to the cinema and even a surprise BBQ!

On the first day, we had registration. This was a chance to get them registered, answer any questions that parents/ carers may have regarding activities/ informing us of any medical conditions as well as it been the first opportunity, we’d have to introduce ourselves and interact with the young person. A lot of the young people signed up on day 1 and it was a lot of fun getting to know them. Joining us on that day was the NCS (National Citizen Service) group of young people. They group was full of young people of similar age to help plan activities, engage and have fun with everyone!

After everyone was registered, they, along with the NCS young people, we had a lot of fun playing games like splat, musical chairs, wink murderer, two truths & one lie and more. The youth workers also joined, and everyone had fun playing games and getting to know one another.

Our first session was MTB (Mountain Biking)/ BMX session. We had 26 children join us on that day. Travel was a bit of an issue which meant that we ended up getting there late (something that would be amended for future travels) and as such, we were only able to have a mountain biking session for everyone. The coaches at the riding centre were fantastic. Due to the fact that we had such a wide range of riders with varying riding skills, the coaches accommodated for everyone – beginner riders who didn’t know how to ride at the start had improved significantly or were able to ride by the end of the session & advanced riders were able to take their mountain bikes and ride over the specialised course – over rocky terrain, uneven surfaces, off-road and even over bridges with traffic driving underneath. Everyone who attended this session expressed that they really enjoyed it.

Another session that we had during the summer scheme was Horse Riding. We had two sessions of this during the summer scheme so that we could maximise the amount of people trying out an activity that they may not have tried before. One of the sessions happened during Britain’s historically hottest day of the summer, so during that time we had to make sure there was provision for this by carrying extra bottles of water & cups.

Both sessions were incredibly enjoyable. The Horse keepers (known as ‘Ostlers’) were very skilled and ensured everyone’s safety across the board: from making sure the equipment was safely secured, to making sure that both the riders and the horses were safe during the the session. Ostlers made sure that every rider participated and were interactive – including learning how to get on a horse safely, bouncing while riding on the saddle, attempting to turn whilst on a stationery horse as well as other various activities. As a spectator, I could see that the activities were meant to help their confidence grow. A lot of the riders who hadn’t had any experience riding a horse came away with a new appreciation towards horse riding &
there were a lot of positive responses after this session ended.

Food training sessions went down a treat with the young people, 3 of them transformed into chefs and future cooks with opportunities to create gourmet cuisine such as lasagna, pizza, tuna pasta salad, wraps, rice, burgers, vegan lasagne, mac & cheese and BBQ chicken. They enjoyed showing off their culinary skills, chopping, weighing, grating and adding ingredients together to create tasty treats and delicious healthy foods that everyone could enjoy.

A lot of the students had a positive reaction towards being in the kitchen and co-operating with each other whether it be straining béchamel sauce, chopping onions, sprinkling cheese over lasagna or splashing various ingredients over a hand-made pizza. I believe the experience of helping each other work towards a common goal that everyone could enjoy was
rewarding and fulfilling and I believe the experience of learning to safely handle equipment together and help/ communicate with each other when the teacher wasn’t available helped them to grow as individuals and as a group…

…and yes, as the unofficial food taster, all the food was full of flavour and delicious. High praise to all, both teacher and students involved for such tasty cuisine.

During week 2, we had our fencing session. This was a single session that included introducing a sport that not many young people would be exposed to. During this session, trainers taught the young people about the technique and safety involved in the art of fencing. Trainers also engaged the students in tournaments to test their prowess, keep things fun and raise the spirit of competition within the young fencers.

From what I observed, during the fencing session, the young people weren’t very interested in the theory part of it. As a collective, the majority became disinterested with many opting to talk amongst themselves. However, the moment they had the opportunity to get practical, put on the safety helmet and handle a [plastic] sword, their eyes lit up and their spirits were invigorated! The entire room enjoyed playing swordsmen and engaging with one another in combat. As a whole, I could see that the students enjoyed themselves during this session.

One of the more visually rewarding sessions that we enjoyed was the ice skating sessions. We have two sessions that involved putting on ice skating and skating around the ice rink in an anti-clockwise direction.

From a personal standpoint this session was very rewarding for me because I was able to join this session with them and it allowed me to physically see everyone grow their skills in their own way. I was able to see first-hand, the accounts of pupils being very intimidated by the ice, to actually attempting to step on the ice, to holding on to the wall, to eventually being able to confidently skate on the ice effortlessly. As a youth worker, who found out that I was a lot better at ice skating that I originally thought, it was a pleasure aiding the young people (by holding their hands) and helping them grow confidence around the ice (although yes, there was a lot of slipping and sliding on the ice… from myself and others). I also enjoyed competitively skating around with some of the more advanced skaters and overall engaging with everyone.

On the first session of ice skating, we had a young boy who was autistic attend accompanied by his carer and mum. We were informed that he loved ice-skating and wanted to register and come with the group for the session. Some of the young people attempted to engage with him once they got to the venue and bring him on the ice, they were sympathetic, understanding his needs but tried as they may their efforts were futile. Even though the attempts were futile the camaraderie shown by everyone was to be admired.

After both sessions of ice skating, once again, this activity, regardless of their skill level, skaters came away with a newfound confidence and appreciation towards something that they may not have tried before. The reception was very positive towards this event and many would’ve liked to try it again.

As we were rounding up our last week of activities, we had more relaxing activities such as going to the cinema and giving them a special BBQ as a treat.

When we went to the cinema, we went to see ‘Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw’ which was rated 12A (which meant that anyone under 12 had to be accompanied by an adult) and shortly after the film started, with all the humour, action and explosive scenes, it was clear to see
why. Everyone was well behaved and enjoyed themselves.

Our special BBQ was largely the same, where those attended enjoyed a good meal whilst roaming around and playing. Unfortunately, due to the rainy weather, we had to have it indoors, but despite that, everyone enjoyed themselves.

All in all, after the 4 weeks was completed, as a youth worker, I noticed a lot of positives and benefits in relation to the summer scheme. I found it beneficial that the summer scheme helped cultivate an environment where children were able to come out of their comfort zone and try new things they may not have tried before and find confidence in learning new skills that they never knew they had with many indicating that they were interested in coming again next year!