Parents give youth project thumbs up! » Communities » 24dash.com

An innovative project aimed specifically at providing young children aged between eight and 12 in Swanley with organised activities and outings has been given a glowing endorsement by parents of the children who attend the scheme.

During a recent evaluation of the Swanley 8 to 12s group, 80% of parents said their children were more physically active since joining the project.

The majority of parents also believed that their child’s behaviour had improved since attending the project, and that their children were doing better at school.

The evaluation, which covered the past 18 months of the project and took into account the views and comments of children, parents, and members of the local community, such as headteachers, concluded that it had successfully delivered its five main aims:

• To enjoy good physical and mental health, and have a healthy lifestyle
• To be protected from harm and neglect, and grow up able to look after themselves
• Get the most out of life and develop broad skills for adulthood
• Make a positive contribution to the community, and to society and not engage in anti-social or offending behaviour
• To develop self confidence, build aspirations and explore future career options

Children were found to enjoy the team sports provided by the 8 to 12 project most of all, and the favourite outing was a trip to the London Eye and London Aquarium last month.

Members of the 8 to 12s group said the project helped them in many ways. The main benefit was that it helped them keep fit and active, but other major themes identified included the group was a way of making friends and meeting new people, going on trips to new places, and learning new arts and crafts skill.

The parents consulted were happy with the quality of the project and the service provided for their children, and had a high level of confidence in the calibre of the staff.

Cllr Felicity Broomby, Sevenoaks District Council Cabinet member  responsibility for young people's issues, says: “The Swanley 8 to 12s group has been running with great success for coming up to five years now, and it is a mark of how successful it has been that it is being extended to other areas in the District. I know the children that attend enjoy it tremendously, and it provides them with a wealth of opportunities they may not otherwise have. It is a great example of partnership working at its best.”

The Swanley 8 to 12s Project provides a variety of activities, for the around 70 to 80 children who attend the group, through three weekly activity clubs.

It runs a swimming club at White Oak Leisure Centre on Mondays after school, which provides half price swimming sessions and has enabled several children to learn how to swim.

An arts and crafts club is held on Tuesdays at the youth centre(?) offering a small group activity for children who want to explore different forms of arts and crafts.

The weekly Friday club takes place between 6.30pm and 8.30pm on Friday evenings at ?, and offers a wide range of games, sports, and arts and crafts.

Additionally the project offers children a number of special outings which may not otherwise be available to them. These activities are subsidised by the project and have included, in recent months, trips to the London Eye and London Aquarium, a weekend sailing on a trawler in the Thames, a water activities day, and a visit to the Globe Theatre.

The project also works with local primary schools to increase opportunities for eight to 12 year olds, which has included trips to the theatre and drumming workshops.

The project has been so successful that a smaller 8 to 12s club has been established to serve the Hillingdon and Greatness estates in Sevenoaks, and a new club is planned for New Ash Green in 2007.

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Press release issued: November 3 2006