|
| |
Peer Mentorship Project,
Peterborough
Celebration Event, 14th
July 2007
On the first day of proper
summer sunshine in July, we were lucky enough to be having our celebration at
Marshfields School in Peterborough (one of the
schools involved in the Peer Mentorship Project), and what a magical and truly
inclusive day it was. We had a mixture of young people, parents, carers and
professionals who all had an amazing, fun-packed day.
| The event was
organised to celebrate the success and conclusion of the end of the first
year’s peer mentorship work in Peterborough schools and to celebrate
students’ achievements by presenting them with completed portfolios and
certificates. Following the presentations at the start of the day in the
hall which was decorated with lot of colourful helium balloons and students’
work, everyone moved outside to take advantage of the weather and various
entertainment on offer. This included djemba drumming, bouncy castle, giant outdoor games, circus skills from Splats,
disco, smoothie making, mehndi, massage and relaxation and art and craft. We
also offered guests a beautiful lunch, prepared voluntarily by staff from
Marshfields School. |
 |
The day offered many
opportunities for young people and professionals to network and let their hair
down in an extremely relaxed environment. The event encouraged all sorts of
different people to be together having fun on a mutual and inclusive basis- an
opportunity which for many is still a rarity. We felt great pride in particular
young people who coped with the day beautifully and were able to share in this
wonderful experience.
It was very clear that all
students were extremely proud of themselves and their achievements and enjoyed
looking at each others’ work. Comments from young people and parents throughout
the day were entirely positive.
‘An
awesome day to celebrate an awesome year, bring on the space hoppers…!’
‘I’ve had
a fantabulous time and I know that all my friends and family have too, thank you
muchly’
‘Loved
every minute of it’
|
We were really surprised to
see Thomas, a young person from Heltwate
Special School on the day,
accompanied by his Dad as school had said he rarely goes anywhere. They were the
last to leave, and Thomas was desperate to know when he could work with us
again. The pride Thomas felt and his dad felt for him was amazing. Both Thomas
and his dad tried their hand at Circus skills, had Mendhi Tattoos, things they
would not normally dream of doing, it was great to see them having fun together
with a total lack of self-consciousness.
The three head teachers
from each of the special schools attended, and it was brilliant for them to see
the impact the work has had on all the young people involved. It has helped
secure the project in schools, as all are enthusiastic about remaining involved.
|
|
Here
are some comments from young people who have taken part in the project:
'Really
enjoyed my year as part of Circles Network FKP! Rewarding for me to see the
benefit for the young people from Phoenix'
'Looking
forward to next time!'
'The year has
been great and can't wait till next year!'
'This
experience has definitely changed my perception of life and opened my eyes to
issues which wouldn't necessarily have been noticeable. I will definitely keep
this experience and it has been great getting to know the students'
|
