29 Jul 2019
In May 2019 Sarah, Youth Club Manager and Adrian, Deputy Manager, took a group of eight of the Club’s youth development team on a four day residential to an outward bound centre in Wales. The trip helped the youth workers bond as a group and work as a team; develop their leadership and youth work skills; reinforce the importance of their wellbeing through physical and mental challenges and how they can apply their learning back at St Andrew’s Club. The trip was also a recognition of the commitment they are giving to the Club and their community, and with many coming from homes on tight family budgets access to this dedicated training weekend may not otherwise have been affordable.
The residential booked was Call to the Wild, in the Brecon Beacons from 28-31 May - 4 days, 3 nights. The majority of sessions were outward bound activities (including hill walking, raft building, canoeing, gorge walking, abseiling and caving) which were outside the comfort zone of our youth development team as most had not experienced these before. We also added our own team building/St Andrew’s Club specific discussions, as our recent management restructure means we are enhancing our commitment to aspects of staff development.Goals of increasing leadership skills and voice were set at the beginning of the week and reviewed at the end. Specific goals included: becoming a better leader/ role model; facing fears; becoming better as a team and getting to know everyone better; supporting each other; listening more. From the post event evaluation all 8 of the youth development team rated the week 7-10/10, with all achieving all or most of their personal goals.
Some will use the experience to add to their CV to show their strengths as working as part of a team. Others says they learnt that they can do anything, as long as they set their mind to it. Joanna, 16, a Peabody resident said: “Throughout the 4 days staying at Wales I became a lot closer with the staff team and I learnt how to come over my fears with the help from the staff”.