Thissummerholiday,ourJuniormembers,aged8-12,enjoyed256hoursof activitiesatBlackburn&DarwenYouthZoneacrossbothvenuesinBlackburn &Darwen Youngpeopleacrosstheboroughwereencouragedtoenjoyan action-packedsummeroffunandeducationalactivities.Thethemesforeach dayparallelacrossbothsitesacrossthefourweeks.Thethemesforthis summerwere:AspirationsandAchievements,STEAM,AroundtheWorld,and TropicalParadise.
Ourmissionistoprovideayoungperson-ledoffer;therefore,theprogramme acrossbothsitespromotedchoiceamongtheyoungpeople,allowingthemto decidewhichactivitiestheywouldliketoparticipateinandwhen.Eachday,a catalogueofactivitieswasrunningwhereyoungpeoplecoulddipinandout whentheypleased.Thisdeliverymethodallowsyoungpeopletodeveloptheir currentinterestsandhavetheopportunitytotryanactivitytheymayhave neverdonebefore.Theprogrammeboastedavarietyofactivities,sothere wassomethingtosuiteveryone’sinterests,somethingforthosewhoenjoy beingactivewhilealsohavingactivitiesforthoseyoungpeoplewhoare creative.
Eachdayoftheholidayclubofferedyoungpeopletheopportunityto participateinbaking,cooking,andbasicfoodpreparationactivities.Young peopletooktheircreationshometosharewiththeirfamiliesalongwitha recipecardsotheycouldtransfertheskillsandknowledgetheyhadlearnt whileattheyouthzoneandimplementitathome.Youngpeoplealsoenjoyed makingfreshfruitsmoothies,bakingcakes,andfruitkebabs.Inadditionto preparingthefood,youngpeoplepickedupsomebasiclifeskillsbyarranging theareaforfoodpreparationandcleaningupaftertheactivitywas completed.
OurDarwenvenueboastsafantasticmusicandpodcastingsuiteoperatedby ‘WeAreNoise’.Workinginpartnershipwith‘WeAreNoise’,Blackburnand DarwenYouthZonehasbeenabletodelivermusicduringeachofthe sessions.Youngpeopleenjoyedproducingtheirownmusic,recording podcasts,andenjoyedlotsofkaraoke.
ThroughoutHAF,therewasafantasticvariationoffoodonofferatbothsites Therewerealotoffavourites,plussomenewrecipesforyoungpeopletotry. Allyoungpeoplewereservedhearty,warm,andgenerousservingsoffood. Youngpeoplehavetriedfoodstheyhaven'thadbefore,eithertheyhaven't beenavailableathomeortheyaretoo"scared"totrynewfood.Inadditionto themainstaples,therewasplentyoffreshfruitandsnackstokeeptummies full.Thefoodofferingisgreatlyappreciatedandneeded.Manyyoungpeople lookedforwardtotheirmealsthroughoutHAF.Inparticular,oneyoung person 'sparentsarehavingsomemoneystrugglesathome.Theybenefited fromoursurplusfoodandwereabletotakeithometohelpfeedthewhole family.
WeekOne-AspirationsandAchievements:Thefirstweekofoursummer programmecelebratedaspirationsandachievements.Forthedurationofthis week,youngpeoplewereencouragedtoconsidertheirhopesanddreamsfor theirfuture.Itallowedtheopportunityforyoungpeopletoreflectontheir previousschoolyearandsetgoalsforthemselves,withagoodnumberof youngpeopleinattendancegearinguptotransitionintosecondaryschool. Ahighlightofthefirstweekwasyoungpeopleparticipatingina“Dragon’s Den”styleafternoon.Youngpeopleweretaskedwithdevelopingandpitching fundraisingideas,consideringhowtheycanraisemoneyforBlackburn& DarwenYouthZone.Theyoungpeopleworkedinteamsandhadthe opportunitytodevelopahostofskillssuchasbudgeting,teamwork,problemsolving,creativity,andtimemanagement.Thisactivityprovedtobeamassive successamongtheyoungpeoplewhorequestedtheactivityforasecond time,whichwewereabletofacilitate
WeekTwo-STEAM:Thesecondweekoftheholidayclubsawyoungpeople gettinghands-onwithavarietyofSTEAMactivities,rangingfromdesigning andmakingexplodingvolcanoes,toexperimentingwithCodeBug,tocreating theirownbathbombs,andmanymorechallengingexperiments.Thisweek allowedyoungpeopletopartakeinanumberofinformaleducationactivities, withlotsoflearningopportunities.Youngpeoplewereabletoputintopractice theSTEAMskillstheyacquireatschoolinpracticalexperimentsforahands-on learningexperience.
Ahighlightofthisweekwasyoungpeoplecontinuingtheirlearningfromthe STEAMweekandapplyingittocreatetheirowncustomvinyl,heat-press printedfootballt-shirts.Youngpeoplewereabletousetheskillstheyhad pickedupinthepreviousweekandimplementthemintothisactivity.There weresomeamazingcreationsandyoungpeopleenjoyedshowingtheseto theirpeersfortheremainderoftheholidayclub.
WeekFour-TropicalParadise:Forthefinalweekoftheholidayclub,young peopleweretransportedtoatropicalparadise.Youngpeopleenjoyedtikiand hulacrafts,hulahoopandlimbocompetitions,aswellasthefamoustropical beachslip‘n’slide.Toensurenoonemissedoutonthefun,youngpeoplefrom theDarwenvenuewereinvitedtovisitBlackburnYouthZoneonatripto participateinthewaterplayfun.YoungpeopleembracedHawaiianculture throughouttheweekandmadeitafinalweektoremember.Theyoungpeople enjoyedavarietyofpartygames,endingtheweekwithabouncycastleanda specialvisitfromlocalicecreamvanMr.Creamy,fortheultimateendofthe summertreat!
AhighlightofthefinalweekwasatriptotheTempleofFuninDarwen,where groupsofyoungpeopleenjoyedbeingabletoplaywiththefriendstheyhad madethroughoutthesummer!
“Mychildhasabsolutelylovedcomingtoholidayclub andhaslookedforwardtocomingeveryday.He enjoyedthevarietyofactivitiesandlovedt-shirt making.Wehaveseenadifferenceinhisconfidence andbehaviour,thankyou”.
-Parentfeedback
OurYouthofferduringSummerHAF2023wascertainlyonetoremember,with bothofoursitesofferingengagingactivitiesandfunforthe4weeksofAugust. Ourthemeschangedeachweek,andouryouthmembersenjoyedthemes suchasAroundtheWorld,STEAMweek,JungleFever,andIslandVibes.Each weekbroughtnewactivitiessuchasscienceexperiments,clayworkshops, festivalkaraoke,RCcarracing,'trashion'shows,themedmusicproduction, jewellerymaking,henna,soapandfacemaskmaking,bakingandcooking workshops,mocktailmaking,bushtuckertrials,relaygames,candyfloss making,saltdoughsculptures,hamabeads,basketballtournaments,and more.
Ouryouthmembersacrossbothsitesbroughtatotalattendanceof1577visits, 504inDarwenand1073inBlackburn,with54newmembersjoiningusforour summerHAFprogramme.Ouryouthsessionsthissummerservedeveryyoung personwhoattendedwithfreehotmeals,includingourTuesdayfoodtruck stopinDarweninpartnershipwithMightyMeals.Youngpeopleengagedina rangeofdifferentactivitiesthatempoweredtheirsocialandemotionalwellbeing,physicalactivity,andtheirsocialcohesionwiththeirpeers,while makingsuretohaveanunforgettablesummerwithourteam.Somefeedback fromouryouthmemberstoldusthatoursummerprogrammewasthe'best partofthesummerholidays'andthattheyenjoyedactivitieslikethescience experimentsandbakingworkshopsthemost,askingformoreofthese activitiestobeincludedinourfutureprogrammes.
Theprogrammefollowedathemeof youngpeople’svoice,directly respondingbacktothefeedbackfrom thepreviousyear’ssummerholiday club.Thisfeedbackhelpedforma skeletonprogramme,whichourleads thenfilledoutwithsummeractivities thatmetourdifferentweeklythemes.
ThroughHAFatBlackburnYouth,wehavefocusedongettingouryoung peopleintheholidayspirit.Throughoutthe4weeksofHAFinAugust,the themeschosenwereBrazil,ArabianNights,LatinAmerica,andBeachVibes. Eachweekwefocusedcloselyonwhatactivitieswecouldoffertheyoung peopletosuiteachweek'stheme.Thisincludedtotebagmaking,tie-dyetshirts,buckethatdesigning,festivemakeup,slipandslide,hairbeading,face painting,henna,mocktailmaking,soapmaking,lipbalmmaking,cake making,keyringmaking,claysculpting,slimemaking,carracing,andmany morefunactivitiesthroughoutthemonth.
Ellie(16) isanewmemberofBlackburn&DarwenYouthZone,whohas recentlymovedtoourareafromNorthernIreland.Elliefirstjoinedusatthe endofJulywhenshemovedtothearea,andheardaboutourupcoming summerHAFprogrammeasawaytokeepherbusyandentertainedoverthe summer.Elliehasshowngreatmaturityandopennessinoursessions,asshe joinedasamemberinordertomeetnewfriendsandotheryoungpeopleher ageassheisnewtothearea.ElliehasrecentlyfinishedherGCSEsinNorthen Irelandandhasshowninterestinareassuchasmusicandtheartswithinour sessions.ElliehasbeenawelcomenewfaceatbothourBlackburnand Darwensites,assheswapsbetweenthe2inordertomeetasmanynew peopleaspossible,andtryoutallthatwehavetoofferinouryouthprovision.
Sincejoining,ElliehasworkedhardwithourpartnersWeAreNoiseinour Darwenmusicstudioinordertolearnthebasisofmusicproduction,singing andsong-writing Asaresultofthis,overthe4weeksofHAF,Elliehasbeen abletorecordherownsamplesofmusic,experimentwithdifferent arrangementsandhasnowrecordedherownsong Shestillhassome finishingtouchestobedoneonthetrack,butiskeentokeeplearninghowto buildonhermusicaltalentsinourmusicprovision.AtBlackburn,Elliehasalso shownakeeninterestinourartsarea,whereshehasbeencreatingherown printmakingoutcomesandgettingtoknowtheteamandotheryoung people.ConsideringtheconnectionsandoutcomesthatElliehasalready madeinjustafewshortweeksasamember,it’sclearthatElliewillcontinue tobearegularmemberinouryouthprovision,andcontinuetogrowin confidence.
ThisAugust,BlackburnYouthZone(BYZ),inpartnershipwithIMO,celebrated thestartofthenewsummerSENDHAFclubfromTuesday1stAugusttoFriday 25thAugustatourBlackburnYouthZonesite.
Ourteamdesignedaprogrammethatwouldengageavarietyofyoung peoplewithSENDneeds,givingthemtheopportunitytotakepartinactivities theymaynothaveexperiencedbefore,includingfreehotandhealthymeals everyday.
AkeystrengthinthestructureofsessionsatBYZispromotingchoiceamong theyoungpeople,allowingthemtohavetheautonomytodecidewhich activitiestheywouldliketoparticipateinandwhen.Eachday,therewasa varietyofactivitiesrunningwhereyoungpeoplecoulddipinandoutwhen theypleased Theseincludedartsandcrafts,sports,sandandwaterplay,and manymore.
Wehavefoundusingthisdeliverymethodmaintainsgreatlevelsof engagementthroughoutthesessionsasyoungpeoplearedevelopingtheir currentinterestsaswellashavingtheopportunitytotryanactivitywhichthey mayhaveneverdonebefore.Theprogrammeboastedavarietyofactivities includingbothactiveandcreativeelements.
Youngpeoplewereencouragedtousethefourweeksasanopportunityto reflectandresetwhileontheirbreakfromschoolsothattheycouldreturnto theirlearningwitharefreshedmindsetandhavegoalssetforthemselves.An activitywhichsparkedmuchinterestwasavisitfromtheanimalfarm.Young peopleengagedwellinthisactivityasitwasverysensory.Theywereableto touch,hold,andstroketheanimalsandwaitedpatientlyfortheirturn. Thefoodactivitiesincludedbaking,cooking,andbasicfoodpreparation throughouttheweek.Ononeofthedays,youngpeopleenjoyedpreparing fruitkebabs.Youngpeoplewereabletopracticeandimplementsimple coordinationskillsandenjoytheirfruitkebabsattheend,whichwasahuge accomplishmentforthem
Therewerealsoopportunitiestomakefreshfruitsmoothiesandtodecorate cakesandminipancakes.Inadditiontopreparingthefood,youngpeople pickedupsomebasiclifeskillsbyarrangingtheareaforfoodpreparationand cleaningupaftertheactivitywascompleted.Theseactivitieshelpedwiththeir awarenessofsocialskillswhilebuildingontheirindependenceand confidence.
ThetopfootballpitchatBlackburnYouthZonewasenjoyedbymanyofthe youngpeoplewithAutism,whoenjoyopenspaces.Therewereavarietyof sportingchallengesincludingfootball,2-a-sidetennis,andmini-golf.This allowedthoseyoungpeoplewithlimitedphysicalabilitiestopartakeattheir ownpaceandgetcompetitive.Thetoppitchislocatedonthe2ndfloor,which provedchallengingformanyoftheyoungpeopleastheliftissomething manyyoungpeoplewithSENDenjoyasit’sahugesensoryexperience.This thenbecameadistractionandmanyyoungpeopleonlywantedtousethelift. Staffandvolunteersworkedtogethertoovercomethisbyusinganalternative routeandusingtheliftasatreatatthebeginningandendofsessions.
Toaddtothefun,youngpeopleenjoyedabubbleperformancefromRay Bubbles.Thiswasasensoryperformanceandtheyoungpeopleenjoyed beingabletotouchthebubblesandseethedifferenttypesofbubbles.The highlightwasbeingabletostandinahugebubble!Inthemusicroom,the youngpeoplehadtheopportunitytogetinvolvedwithmakingsomefun musicvideos.Workinginsmallgroups,memberswereabletoexperiencetheir surroundingsandactivitiesattheirownpaceasnoisewasahugefactorfor manyoftheyoungpeoplewithSEND.Wewereabletogrouptheyoungpeople withstaffanduseadditionalroomswithintheYouthZone.
Overall,ourSummerSENDHAFwasafantasticexperienceforallinvolved.
‘’Mysonabsolutelylovedit �� itwasgreatforhimtobeabletoattendthe sessionsIbookedhiminfor.Hisneedswereabletobemetwithfriendly andsupportivestaff,thankyou.Thesummerholidayshavebeenvery costlytofindactivitiestokeepmysonbusyandhappyandBYZsessions providedamuch-neededfreealternative.’’ -Parentfeedback
DuringAugust,ourStreetZoneofferwasincreasedfrom2daysaweekto4 daysaweek.Thisallowedourorganisationtoreachoutintoourlocal communityandhostsessionsintheareasthatouryoungpeoplegatherin whentheyaren’tinourcentre DarwenStreetZonewasabletoengagea numberofyoungpeopleinouractivitiesandhandfoodparcelsouttoyoung people.
Furthertothis,foodparcelsweredonatedtoourlocalNightSafe,an organisationsupportingvulnerableyoungpeoplewithhousingdifficulties.Our StreetZoneofferenabledustoengageyoungpeopleintheheartofour community,settingupinlocalfields,multi-usegameareasandplayareasto deliverfootball,cricket,frisbee,litterpicksandmore.Onourroutesduring SummerStreetZone,wewereabletoworkcloselywithlocalbusinessesand communitymembersinordertorespondtoreportsofanti-socialbehaviour, andtargettheseareasasprioritylocationsonourroutes.
Thefeedbackfromcommunitymembersisthatourdetachedandoutreach teamplayavitalpartinreducingASBintheirlocalarea,andweare continuingourpartnershipwiththeminordertofurtherdecreasepotential ASBbeforeitoccursbyengaging issue-baseddiscussions Aswell grounds,whereweengagedwit trainingsessionsandgameson
‘’SeeingBlackburn&DarwenYouth Zonedistributingfoodparcelsto youngpeoplewarmsmyheart.Our kidsreallyneedthis,especiallyhere (Darwen)’’
-Memberofpublic
Followingpreviousfeedbackandconsultation,weweredelightedtobeableto launchabrandnewchildcareopportunityforparentsworkingremotelythis summer.OurStayandPlayprovisionofferedanexciting,fun-filledprogramme for2-12year-oldsatourBlackburnsite,whileparentswereofferedarelaxed workingspace.Youngpeoplewereprovidedwithavariedprogramme cateringforallages,includingMultiSports,Dance,Baking,MessyPlay,Artsand Crafts,andlearningthroughPlayactivitiessuchasStoryTimesand Imaginativeplay.Youngpeoplewerealsoprovidedanutritiouslunchtime mealbyourcateringteam
TheCorporateVolunteeringchallenge,whichtookplaceoverourHAF programme,wasahugesuccesswithbothouryoungpeopleandthePatrons involved.WehadfourdifferentPatrons-Wellocks,BrightBlueFoods,The SenatorGroup&Staci.EachPatroncametoYouthZonewithafullydesigned, ready-to-goworkshoprelatedtotheirareaofexpertise.
TotalnumberofCorporateVolunteers:46
Corporatevolunteerhours:267.5
OveralltotalnumberofVolunteers:71
Overallvolunteerhours:1,125
Staci-StacicreatedtheirownchallengeonbehalfofBlackburnYouthZonein whichtheyofferedamemberoftheirteamtocomeintothesessionand volunteerforthefullday!Thismeantwehadacorporatevolunteerhelpingout withbothourStay&PlaydaysaswellasourJuniorHAF,whichwasextremely helpfulandhighlywelcomedbythedeliveryteam.Thesedailyvolunteersalso tookresponsibilityforthe‘StaciToteBagDesignChallenge,’whichenabledour youngpeopletohavemeaningfulconversationsregardingourenvironment, andthendesignandpainttheirideasontototebagssuppliedbyStaci.They havenowbeensentallthepicturestoallowthemtochooseawinner.The winningdesignwillbeofficiallyprintedontothebagsusedatStacifor marketing,newstarters,etc.,aswellas£50.
BrightBlueFoods-BrightBlueFoodscameinonceaweekforeachweekof HAFanddeliveredavarietyofworkshops,whichincludeddecoratinglarge cakes,cupcakes,andmakingcakejars!TheBBFteamtaughtyoungpeople howtocorrectlypipeandeducatedthemoneverythingthatgoesintocake manufacturing.Thiswasamassivehitwithyoungpeoplewhoengagedevery week.
TheSenatorGroup-TheSenatorGroupjoinedusforthefinaltwoweeksof HAFandhadabrilliantworkshoprelatedtofurnituredesign.Theyallowed youngpeopletodesignapieceoffurniturewhichwouldbesuitablefor BlackburnYouthZone(creativityencouraged)andthenaskedthemtobring theirideatolifeusingLego!Attheendofthesession,theypresentedwinners withsomeawardsduringapresentationceremony.
Wellocks-WellocksalsojoinedusforthefinaltwoweeksofHAFandstayed forboththemorningandafternoonsessions.Wellocksgotyoungpeople engagedinsomebaking.Week1wasshortbreadandweek2wasbrownies, whichagainwasahugesuccess.Theteamshowedouryoungpeoplehowto correctlymeasureandaddingredientsthemselves,anditwasgreattosee theexcitementwhentheysawtheirfinalproduct!
Ouryoungleadersofficiallyfinishedtheir6-monthprogrammepriortoHAF starting,thereforehadtheopportunitytoputeverythingtheyhadlearntinto practice,showcasingtheirskillsandpersonaldevelopmentthroughoutour JuniorHAFprovision.Withtheguidanceofourexperiencedteam,theyoung leaderswereabletoshowleadershipqualitieswhilealsobringingafresh perspectivetotheclub Theyconnectedwithourmembers,bridgingtheage gapandbecomingrolemodels.Nowtheyhavetheopportunitytoreflecton theirHAFjourneyandcontinuetodevelopwithintheyouthworksectorat Blackburn&DarwenYouthZone
‘’Ithinkthesessionswentgreatintermsoftherangeofactivities availablefortheyoungpeople.IthasalsobeengreatwithSajidaand Zainabsupportingandguidingustoo.Especiallywiththedifferent activities,thismeantitwasnotrepetitiveforthemandsomething newforthemtoenjoy.Iamalsomotivatedtokeeponvolunteering becausethishasgavemeaneyeopenerofwhatitislikeworking withSENDchildrenandthewaysofsupportingthem’’
-YounG LEADER