16-year old Jason joined The Keresley Centre in 2014. He attended mainstream school, but faced many difficulties. He faced both behavioural issues and difficulties at school as well as at home. At first he was reluctant to join the centre and hesitated as he mentioned: “I was very nervous after coming from a mainstream school. It was scary knowing that there could be some fairly misbehaved students there but after some time I settled in well”.  

After two years as a student, he has now become a member of staff, as a ‘Assistant Teaching Assistant’, he recognises “how good the school is compared to mainstream schools” and how “the staff will always try and help as much as possible” while he thought that a mainstream school was too busy for this and much more restricting.
 
Jason has now received the following 4 GCSE qualifications: City & Guilds, Functional Level 1 English, Maths and Science and is following his path towards teacher training. We asked Jason about his plans for the future, he mentioned that he is excited about opportunities that are now within reach: “I can either follow teacher training and become a qualified teacher or go to university and join the Royal Air Force, becoming a regiment gunner or office in regiment”.

For Jason, the Keresley Centre has not only  made a difference in his academic and professional career, but “they have steered me in the right direction of life. I am now happy with the path I am following and my direction in life”. This is a phenomenal story for the SYP’s Keresley centre, we have helped a young person in the many ways explained and assisted him to reach the path that many young people are capable of, but unfortunately fail to reach.

Keresley in three words to Jason: “important, inspirational and caring”.

Interview with a former SYP student- Aged 16

Further Details:
London Marathon
Virgin Sport 10K

Adventure days

• Scary pumpkins made by kids this week before going out on their adventures!
  

Each time a group comes to a camp we are asking them to share their opinions on their time at the AVC, whether it may be related to accommodation, activities and food or simply how they are feeling. We are trying to capture Youth Voice in all of our services and allow the young people to have their say!
 
We hope you enjoy their comments :)

                 19-25 September 2016
Comments from camp

• Action packed week, especially loved sailing and kayaking on the river
• ‘Good tasty, filling food all week’ – Young Person
• Great instructors!  Special mention for Jack (trainee instructor)
• ‘Sailing fast across the river and hitting a buoy was so much fun! I want to do it again in London’ – Young Person
• ‘High ropes was so scary in the beginning but I’m very proud of myself as I got higher than I thought I would. The instructor Meg really helped me not be scared’ – Young Person
• ‘It was really fun staying in a room with my friends, but It was hard to make my bed on the first morning!’ – Young Person

 
 
               26 - 30 September 2016

Comments from camp

• The young people enjoyed being on the river more so than the basin, felt calmer and more connected to the centre.
• Great instructors!  Special mention for Meg and Zoe (trainee)
• ‘Good food all week but could do with more choice’  - Young Person
• The Downs school had a conversation with a couple of their children about picking up things and keeping it for themselves (lollypops), and the dangers that can go with that…. Childs response was ‘nobody would want to hurt a child’. The teacher thought that this was a fantastic response as that child felt completely safe and secure at the AVC, praising our staff highly.
• A child was ill during the week and had to miss out on the Watersports on the river. As the river is so much closer than the basin, they felt not as cut off from the group whilst ill.
• Our climbing wall has been having a ‘challenge of the month’ and is proving incredibly popular with customers and young people using it every day!

 
 
                    10 - 16 October 2016
Hardship
In the month of October we help 33 children fund their stay at the AVC

Comments from camp

• Action packed week, especially loved launching the rockets we made in to the sky!

• ‘It was so windy on the river so we couldn’t go out but we did kayaking in the pool which was brilliant, especially the playing polo in the kayak’ – Young Person
• ‘I did climbing with Hannah (instructor) and didn’t get very far on my first go but Hannah helped get higher than I thought I ever would on my second go’ – Young Person
• ‘Me and my friends in my room kept our room really tidy because we wanted the teddy mascot from the housekeepers. We were really happy when we got him’ – Young Person 
• ‘I hit my toe on a door stop on the first day but did my best to do everything at Arethusa. It hurt my toe when I did climbing but I loved it anyway’ – Young Person

 
 
 
 
 
 

Bewl Water, Kent,  1st – 5th August 2016
Siblings United's summer activities kicked off on the 1st August with our 5 day camp to Bewl Water activity centre in Kent. We took 19 young people for a week of fun and adventure that would give them experiences and memories to share. Bewl Water has the largest stretch of open water in the South East. The 800 acre site is set in an area of outstanding natural beauty, in the heart of the High Weald. This is a water based activity camp including sailing, wind surfing, canoeing and mountain biking.

We were happy to welcome 4 new sets of siblings, which accounted for 10 of the 19 young people who attended camp. The new siblings were wide eyed and not sure what to expect, but with the help of the 9 young people who had been to siblings camp before, some returning for the second time and some returning for the eighth year in a row. The brand new campers were told what a good time they were instore for and the seasoned campers shared their own experiences at siblings camp which made the new groups feel excited about the week they were about to experience.

As well as the day time activities the camp introduced new evening activities of circuit training and  street dance lessons for siblings that wanted to participate, they proved to be very popular and uncovered dancing skills and moves  that some young people and staff never knew they had.
All in all the camp went very well and many siblings learnt new skills in sailing and wind surfing and as well as spending a great time with their siblings also made new friends  and a new dance move or two.
 
Go Ape @ Battersea Park 11th August 2016
Situated on the south bank of the River Thames opposite Chelsea, Go Ape Battersea takes a new twist on the classic Tree Top Adventure. Incorporating some of the park’s taller trees, the city experience includes knee-knocking crossings that are double the height of most Go Ape adventures, and many are twice as long, making them extra wobbly and challenging.

We took 10 Siblings on our first day camp of the year. Some were gung -ho in their approach and some had to overcome their fear of heights with the help of the other sibling groups and staff from the safety of the ground. The tree top adventure lasted over 3 hours with siblings taking to the skies with only a safety harness and their determination to help them traverse the urban jungle located in the heart of London. After many screams and sharp intakes of breath on this beautiful summer day in London and after completing the tree top course many times every one had worked up a ravenous appetite which called for only one thing, a slap up meal at Nando’s, where much chicken and drinks were consumed while everyone told stories of how brave they had been and what a great day they had had.
 
 Stubbers Adventure Centre, Essex, 15th – 19th August 2016
Siblings United have been going  to Stubbers Adventure Centre for 6 summers in a row, the reason why is because of the wide variety  of activities they do there,  ranging from all the usual things like climbing, raft building and canoeing, but also activities like 4 x 4 driving,  jet skiing  banana boating and laser tag. With up to 4 activities a day and plenty to do in the evenings, Stubbers keeps the Siblings campers busy from morning to night. This summer we had 15 young people who attended camp.

With all that non stop activity the Siblings Campers need constant fueling, so a big shout goes out to the master cook Angela who works so hard from morning to night providing cooked breakfast, cooked lunch, wholesome balanced dinner and all the snacks in-between for the eating machines that are Siblings United campers.

One evening everyone was in the dinning room waiting for dinner after a day of full on activity and at that point the hungry campers were becoming impatient, a member of staff came in to say that dinner was delayed because a young person with learning difficulties from another group who were also staying on site, was missing or hiding  and that Siblings United staff had been asked to help with the search. Without a word or a request every single Sibling  united young  camper from the oldest to the youngest got up out of their seats and said that they would help with the search, hunger was immediately forgotten and concern for a fellow young person became the only thought.   It was a happy ending as the missing young person was found hiding very soon afterwards and dinner was eaten with even more relish that evening.

The weather was really good all week and the most popular activities were jet skiing and laser tag, two of the reasons why the Stubbers camp is so popular and always well attended.
Linda and I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the hard working staff and KPMG volunteers who worked with us over the summer to make the camps fun, safe and a great environment for all of the siblings to have such a good time.
 
Ready Steady Cook Camp 22nd – 23rd August 2016
Ready Steady Cook is a new addition to the Siblings united programme and was well attended by both Siblings who have been coming to camp for years and siblings who have joined us for the first year this summer. The Ready Steady Cook Camp was hosted at Shaftesbury Young People AVC centre situated in the picturesque historic village of Upnor on the banks of the River Medway
Before any cooking was done the campers were given a class in kitchen rules and hygiene, ending with a multi choice quiz with all campers passing with flying colours.

The siblings were divided into two teams and given a demonstration by our Ready Steady Cook chef Henry on how to make each recipe and then sent to their side of the kitchen to reproduce chef Henry’s culinary delights. Staffwere on hand to give assistance if needed and together over the two days produced a range of savoury and sweet dishes. Pizza, Apple crumble, Pasta tuna bake, bread and butter pudding, strawberry cheese cake, Bakewell tart and Banoffee pie.
I was selected to be the judge and apart from the pizza that was covered in brown sauce instead of tomato sauce I enjoyed all the dishes and delights produced over the two days of cooking, baking and eating, with plenty to take home for carers, neighbours and pets alike.

Snow Camp 25th – 26th August 2016
For the second year running Siblings United partnered up with Snow camp to give our Siblings United young people a new experience.  The programme provides young people with their first experience of snow sports, using Hemel Snow Centre as a base. The huge indoor snow slope is a fantastic place to get a feel of what skiing and snowboarding is all about. Snow camp also includes informal life-skills sessions that look at the challenges faced by young people and how skills being developed on the slope are useful in their everyday lives.
All of our siblings opted for snow boarding rather than skiing even though they were told that you’re more likely to fall over snow boarding, I think they all thought snow boarding was the cooler option.

Day one and fully qualified instructors begin by introducing the young people to the snowboard equipment before heading straight to the slope for the first lesson. Whether skiing or snowboarding, the focus for the young people over the first day was balance, controlling speed and understanding the basics of their new sport. Day two gave the siblings the chance to further develop their new snow boarding skills, which began with a review of the skills learnt on Day 1. The siblings progressed with their turning, stopping, and balance and speed control and by the end of the slope session on Day 2 the siblings had made significant progress and experienced for the first time the feeling of gliding down a ski slope looking as cool as possible.

An awards ceremony closed the course, with the siblings receiving their accredited Snowlife award for snowboarding as well as certificates and medals. This ceremony provided a positive end to the course, with siblings being commended on their efforts and achievements over the 2 days.
So all in all we have had a really busy summer working with over 60 young people, many new sibling groups participating in all kinds of fun and exciting things all over the country working with inspiring, good humoured, professional workers and volunteers, making sure that although we
worked really hard, everyone including us all had a good time.

Special thanks goes to KPMG for all the support and help they give us all year round.
We now are looking forward to the last camp of the year which is going to be at PGL Shropshire this October and our end of year Christmas party, which is being hosted at KPMG head office in Canary Wharf.  

Cheers

Chris Crooks

Marine-