#Chances4Children: Young people reconnect with nature
Tuesday, January 26, 2021
An inner-city council developed an outdoor schools programme to help disadvantaged children and young people spend time in nature and learn skills such as den building, orienteering and fire lighting following months of lockdown.
The City of London Corporation’s open spaces department launched the outdoor schools programme last September as part of its Green Spaces, Learning Places scheme, which aimed to get children in London active and connecting with nature to improve their mental health and wellbeing after the turbulence of the pandemic.
The scheme hoped to fight inequalities by enabling disadvantaged children to access green spaces. Some children don’t have easy access to green space in their area, and those without gardens spent much of their time indoors during the first lockdown.
The Covid-safe programme took place in some of London’s most iconic green spaces, including Hampstead Heath and Epping Forest.
More than 500 students took part in the scheme, which built on an online learning initiative developed last April which provided children with activities like bug hunts and eco art, as well as DIY lessons on how to make bird feeders and sun catchers.
The resources were sent out to schools, food banks and children’s centres for children without computer access.
Shayne David, a teacher at Carlton Primary School in Camden, which took part in the scheme, said the Green Spaces, Learning Places day at Hampstead Heath was “one to remember” for his students.
He said: “With clear risk assessments, excellent pre and post visit communication and an amazing days’ worth of survival activities, it was a joy to see another side of our students beyond the gates of the school.”
Oliver Sells, chairman of the London Corporation’s open spaces and city gardens committee, said it was “the perfect time for our young people to get some fresh air and take the classroom to the forest”.
Call for laptops to bridge the home learning digital divide
London-based electronics charity The Restart Project has announced a new campaign for people to donate old laptops to help disadvantaged students with home learning. The charity will repair and redistribute all laptops donated to them, and are encouraging anyone with skills in tech to volunteer with tech charities to refurbish unused laptops. The scheme is a response to the worsening digital divide, which has been preventing disadvantaged students from accessing basic education at home. The Restart Project will act as a virtual help-desk, matching donated laptops to tech repair volunteers at home. Details at info@therestartproject.org
Peer support and wellbeing projects targeted by Co-op
The Co-op Foundation has announced it will offer £1.8m in grants to 42 community organisations that offer peer support and wellbeing projects to young people. The funding covers three areas; peer support in schools, support for young people dealing with bereavement, and improving access to green and community spaces. Since it first partnered with the #iwill Fund in 2017, the Co-op Foundation has awarded more than £3m in grants. Nick Crofts, chief executive of Co-op Foundation, says he hopes the funds recognise that “2020 was a hugely challenging year for the charity sector”.
School Food Matters supplies Christmas breakfast boxes
Food poverty charity School Food Matters supplied more than 20,000 breakfasts to disadvantaged and vulnerable children in Southwark over the Christmas break. Unicef UK’s domestic emergency grant funded the breakfast boxes, which contained enough food for 10 breakfasts. There are 15,000 children in Southwark who are vulnerable to food poverty. The scheme is an extension of its breakfast boxes, which launched during the first lockdown and ran for 18 weeks. School Food Matters hopes to continue combatting food poverty in 2021, and has called on the government to provide more funding to enable it and similar organisations to survive.
About the campaign
CYP Now’s #Chances4Children campaign aims to:
- Raise awareness of issues that prevent children and young people reaching their potential
- Champion practice and initiatives to tackle issues from which others can learn
- Support children’s sector leaders in their work to support vulnerable groups
- Provide a platform for children and young people to share their hopes and aspirations
- Ensure the needs of disadvantaged children remain at the forefront of policymakers’ post-pandemic recovery plans
Share examples of your good practice or celebrate the work of peers on Twitter by tagging #Chances4Children and send your stories to cypnow@markallengroup.com
