Both
inside and outside the classroom, this year’s London Summer Project was full of
firsts.
We
had our first summer fete, sponsored by the ACCA. This involved the traditional
features of a summer fair, from a bouncy castle to face painting, alongside
some more bizarre activities, including a cactus-themed hoopla, inflatable
basketball and 10 pin bowling! Throughout the fete, one of our volunteers,
Ryan, DJ-ed while the volunteers from the ACCA served up popcorn.
Later
in the project, we had our first visit from the Cabinet Office Olympic and Paralympic Legacy
team who hosted an athletics competition and a tense game of sitting volley
ball. Afterwards, they gave everyone the exciting chance to have their
photograph taken with the Olympic torch. Other new activities included a
cycling course and a climbing trip.
Inside
the classroom, we made a special effort to instil our four character values in
our mentees: fairness, good judgement, self-control and staying power.
Throughout the project, we had a merit race, offering merits and prizes to
those who made the most effort to display these values. This proved an
effective way encourage the young people to think about and improve their
behaviour.
Alongside
all these new and exciting activities we kept the old favourites which included
swimming, kayaking, ice-skating and a cinema trip. It will be hard to top this
year’s Summer Project. Have a look below to read about one volunteer’s
experience of the Project.
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A volunteer’s experience of the
ReachOut Summer Project
"I have had the best time at the
ReachOut Summer Project", a quote by a volunteer epitomising the feeling
at the ReachOut Summer Project where young people have fun whilst developing
life and educational skills along the way.
The atmosphere of the final day
celebrations spoke volumes. As a member of staff, seeing all the students and
their enthusiastic parents for a final time made me realise that the Summer Programme
is unique and offers different challenges to that of the ReachOut Club and
Academy Programmes during the school year. This was my first year working on
the Summer Programme teaching English, and I know in my heart that the children
and staff alike have come out on the other side with an unforgettable experience.
The children at the summer project
varied from ages 9-14, which I thought presented itself as a challenge as some
of the older children would influence the younger ones. However, the younger
kids were allowed to integrate themselves with the older year groups, which was
great preparation for the jump from primary to secondary school.
I believe that seeing kids improve
their character is fundamental and the vast majority of them have developed
throughout the summer, displaying ReachOut's core values of staying power, good
judgement, fairness and self-control. Throughout the project, I felt the
development of a great class rapport, something which cannot be continued but
which the children and I will not forget.
The staff developed friendships
quickly from the very start which allowed a feeling of togetherness and
community, with plenty of camaraderie. There was a vast array of interesting
and diverse characters but all came together to make the project a success, and
the end of project social reflected this, as we all celebrated enthusiastically.
It has been a roller-coaster but when
I saw the year groups that I taught improve considerably, it gave me a sense of
relief and increased my confidence about my impact in the classroom. Passion
and determination are key to succeeding with the children; something the staff
had in abundance which is what made the project so successful.
Jeremy Tang
