By Rob Gooding, Community Organiser
I have been working with Donna on a funding bid for Canklow Rainbow Kids Club. If successful we will secure funding to not only keep the group running for the next three years but also put on extra events and day trips throughout the year.
As part of the bid we implemented a buddy system where older members peer mentor the younger members and recorded their activities in their buddy diary every week, this is to teach the children valuable skills they can take into future life situations. The idea behind this is to help evidence the activities and see if the children are enjoying them or not, we are hoping it will bring the group closer together by developing stronger bonds between the different age groups who are using the centre.
As part of the funding bid, we are trying to set up a homework club where all the children can have access to the internet and have support from not only the volunteers but through the buddy system where the older children can help them understand their homework, which helps the younger children learn but also builds a feeling of pride and accomplishment for the older kids.
We have been holding Digital Sessions as part of the bid where the children are splitting into groups to research and plan a day trip in the summer to The Yorkshire Wildlife Park. Using the iPads the children have been getting quotes for coach hire, admittance prices for the park and doing research into what animals call the park home, as a part of this they have helped each other work out how many members regularly attend the group using the register and have started to put a costings sheet together.
We plan to run more sessions like this if the funding is successful which will enable the children to cost future events and day trips. The older children would like to set up a club website so we will put on a session in the new year where they can come together and help make the site.
The extra events through summer will be to combat holiday poverty and lack of exercise. After talking to the children many of them were complaining about being bored in the school holidays and wanted to play football and sports as Rotherham United have been running sessions in the area. The sessions will be themed around healthy eating and sports day events in the summer holidays. The group plan to hold sports tournaments and games one day a week during the holidays combined with a healthy picnic provided to all that attend the session.