Events 23
Clacton Back to School Event
It was great to host a “Back to School” event at Clacton, we were accompanied by CVST, Free School
Uniform and Sydney House. It was lovely to see many families attend and make use of these
services and to watch the children enjoy the craft and lunch. It was a hugely successful event that we
will repeat next year.
Jaywick Back to School Event
With school’s due back in a week Inclusion Ventures held a “Back To School” event. Essex Free
School Uniform, Frobisher School and Nest all attended and we had one of our Mum’s who is a
hairdresser offer free trims. Lots of family’s parents were pleased to make use of Essex Free School
Uniform and it was lovely to see the children enjoying have their haircut. Teachers from Frobisher
enjoyed chatting the children whilst crafting and all enjoyed the bacon and sausage rolls.
Millers Barn
Our young people loved the driving range. Who can hit the ball the furthest? Lots of fun, laughter and some natural talent. What a great new activity to try and everything is better on a sunny day.
Helping Hands
Our second Happy Helpers group visited Corner Lodge to do some craft activities with the residents.
Harvest Festival Trip
Learning about different ways to grow, care, harvest and cook vegetables. Great life skills. From earth to plate
Putt in the Park
Putt in the park is a lovely place. All the YP really enjoyed it and would love to go back, they also loved using the outdoor gym at a nearby park
Wales Trip
Life changing experiences, beautiful sights. It was also a very big eye opener for both staff and YP,s.
Clacton Beach Day
Inclusion Ventures Staff and our Clacton Young People joined together for a trip to Clacton beach. We arrived at our Beach Hut raring to go, our young people went straight into the sea with staff, sand castles fortresses were being built with families joining in. We all sat together and enjoyed a picnic on the beach before we had one last paddle before going home.
Splash Park
Sploshing and splashing in the summer sun. Down the slide and over the bridge, fun was had by all in the refreshing water
Sea Fishing
After returning from the trip, we as a group attended Inclusion ventures community base where the young people were then shown and encouraged to participate in cooking the fish they caught and sample it for themselves. This part of the process was to encourage the young people of the benefits of eating a healthy source of food and how easy it is for them to prepare and cook fish as a healthy alternative to fast food takeaways.
African Drumming
After returning from the trip, we as a group attended Inclusion ventures community base where the young people were then shown and encouraged to participate in cooking the fish they caught and sample it for themselves. This part of the process was to encourage the young people of the benefits of eating a healthy source of food and how easy it is for them to prepare and cook fish as a healthy alternative to fast food takeaways.
Sports Day
Tug of war, egg and spoon, three legged race and wheel barrow race. Parents and YP loved all activities. There was even a staff Vs parents tug of war and of course the staff had won.
Youth Unity Gaming Bus
Paul from Youth Unity organised a gaming bus to come to our Night Cafe sessions!
Sea-Change Trip
From the 01/06 to the 03/06 we took 5 boys aged 12 to 16yrs on a residential sailing trip with the sailing trust Sea-Change to better empower them with confidence and self- sufficiency. The boys faced a variety of needs and risks and as such it was felt that getting them away from their environment and negative influences would challenge them both physically and mentally and give us a better understanding of how best we can support them into the future
Session Photos
A selection photos from sessions
Boat Trip
Arkade invited some of our younger YP's on a boat trip after getting involved with art and crafts to appreciate our local sea life. Our young people really enjoyed the sea breeze, open air, fishing and Squids.
Christmas Dinner
The Christmas Party was enjoyed by all, with a great Christmas buffett made by Fran, a quiz, and loud crazy games including as Snowball fight with newspapers, pass the parcel with a twist, balloon games, and the old favourite after eight mints on the forehead
Zoo Trip
It was a rainy day but that didn't stop the children from enjoying the freedom of nature as we walked through the zoo marvelling at all the wonderful animals, from the baby Orangutans, Capuchin Monkeys, stroking the Pigs and Goats and even seeing a fish that had teeth. All enjoyed the picnic provided, where we talked about what our favorite animal was and why! We visited the park where all of young people enjoyed challenging themselves on climbing the ropes. The day was finished with a hot chocolate and exhausted but happy children on the mini bus journey home.
Go-Carting Trip
The young people were very excited about this trip and the possibility of being the race winner. Behaviour at the venue was excellent and positive peer competition was experienced.
Family Trip Enlightened
Beautiful light displays with tinkerbell in her golden cage and a multicoloured peacock to light up the darkening night.
Family fun and wonder was enjoyed by all ages
Thanks to Active Essex this funding really helped to start and cement relationships with families that we work with.
The funding also supported the families to get to know each other out of the local
community and build friendships. This activity gave us the opportunity for quality time with the parents along with the children to deepen trust and understanding.
Little Sprouts Toddler Group
Little Sprouts
Family Trip Enlightened
Beautiful light displays with tinkerbell in her golden cage and a multicoloured peacock to light up the darkening night.
Family fun and wonder was enjoyed by all ages
Thanks to Active Essex this funding really helped to start and cement relationships with families that we work with.
The funding also supported the families to get to know each other out of the local
community and build friendships. This activity gave us the opportunity for quality time with the parents along with the children to deepen trust and understanding.
Speedworth Gala Bonfire Night
Banger Racing was a huge success! None of our children had ever been Banger Racing before and everyone was excited to go. From the moment we arrived the atmosphere was brilliant and the children were all engaged in watching the races. We had an extra surprise because it was also bonfire night and we watched the most spectacular fireworks display, everyone agreed it was the best they had ever seen.
I can honestly say that all the children were fantastic and we all had the most amazing time. Thanks to Jack Petchey our kids were able to experience something new and the entire evening was positive and enjoyable.
Cooking with Mum's
Every week, IV hold a parents cooking class with our lovely chef, Frances. Each week the parents get to request a new recipe to try and under the wonderful guidance of Frances, get to take a homemade dish back home for the whole family to try.
Paddle Boarding at Curve Wake Sport
First time paddle boarding for all our young people involved and most of the staff too. Great fun was had and the young people really threw themselves into the challenge of the activity. Lots of laughter, fun and falling in.
Flying Seagulls Talent Show
The young people and their families enjoyed a fun day of circus skills with the amazing flying seagulls crew! We got to the end the day with a brilliant talent show where a whole range of talents were shown including drumming and balancing plates and diabolos. To top it off, we had the best weather for the day!
Jaywick Beach Day
The Jaywick beach day had lovely weather and we enjoyed playing Frisbee in the water together. We also enjoyed jumping the waves and having splashing competitions. We built sandcastles and loved trying to boogie board. The sea safety talk was so much fun and educational and the packed lunch was delicious.
Splash Park
The young people were excited to be cooling off at the local splash park after walking to the venue on a hot day. It was lovely to see them all enjoying themselves. Lunch was taken at a bench just outside the venue. The walk back was a slow one with a short stop off at the park followed by some swimming and sand castle building on the beach
I Carp Fishing Trip
It was a great day today. We had to drag the lads away from the lakes as they didn't want to go home. Ruby told me that Junior told her that this fishing was better than the estate.
Danbury
We took 10 males from Jaywick & West Clacton to Danbury adventure training centre for a long weekend. Some of the YP had never been away from home overnight and others with diagnosis of ADHD, anxiety and some mild learning disabilities also had to contend with these issues so this trip was a big step for some of the YP taking part. aerial adventure, zip wire, low ropes, obstacle course, archery, off road trail biking, caving & bush craft skills. Some of the activities required team working ability and it was evident to see after a shaky start how the YP started working together as a team to get over the challenges & obstacles. All the YP taking part in these activities did so with vigour, after initial hesitation and nervousness in the beginning. YP supported each other to get through the individual activities which instilled in some a newfound confidence and appreciation of the outdoors.
Easter Chocolate Day
During the Easter chocolate day, the yp got the chance to make their own chocolate nests and decorate their own mini chocolate egg as well as various Easter themed crafts.
The yp really enjoyed it and this allowed them to interact with their friends whilst having fun in a familiar and safe environment. All the yp got to take something home at the end of the day to show their parents.
Panna & 5 a side football afternoon
14 young people and some families came along for an afternoon of football. The Sun was kind and Tai played some great tunes. Everyone got involved and the competition was friendly.
The winner of the Panna competition was Daniel, runner up Matthew. Best attitude Harry
For the 5 a side the best attitude Albie and best player Matthew
Flying Seagulls
Family Valentines Meal
Bringing together Families to enjoy a fun French themed Valentines lunch, all enjoyed a delicious three course meal of French Onion Soup, Beef Bourguignon and Lemon Meringue, Yummy! Followed my crafts and games that both the YP & Adult’s enjoyed. Proving that valentines isn’t just for couples but all you love.
Clip & Climb
All the young people got the opportunity to try something new and enjoyed the energetic session at Clip & Climb in Ipswich where they were tested on a variety of climbing apparatus. Surprisingly the youngest member of the YP on the trip was fearless and took on some challenging climbs for his size. Some expressed an interest in going back again and one was even planning to have their birthday party there.
Clacton Seagulls Show
At the end of the 5 weeks families and friends were invited to a Show Finale!
We were fortunate to be able to hold the Clacton show in Ravens Academy main hall, 18 young people performed for the local audience, which was full of pride, excitement and surprise at how amazing they all did.
There were some fearless performances on the Aerial Swing, some duos and group pieces that brought new combinations together to deliver musical & movement entertainment and there was even an impromptu stand up comedian.
Everyone who attended left with broad smiles and a feeling of community connection, chatting and laughing with friends and neighbours the whole time.
Seagulls Session
In the Autumn the Flying Seagulls brought some exciting opportunities young people who attended our sessions to try out some challenging activities, including an introduction to parkour and an aerial swing frame, along with arts & crafts and stage performance workshops.
Wrestling Trip
We decided to treat our children to something a little different and took them to a wrestling show. It was a great high energy experience! Our young people really loved booing the bad guys, foot stomping, shouting and clapping for the good guys.
Trip to London Natural History Museum
Young people from Clacton and Jaywick were invited to Londons Natural History Museum. All the young people chatted and laughed with each other and staff on the minibus. This trip was aimed at 11 years and older due to the length of traveling and walking. We split up into small groups this meaning the young people from both areas were interacting with each other. The Museum was enjoyed by all and many of the young people took pictures and showed interest in the exhibits. We then took a walk up to Buckingham Palace where they were just finishing changing the guards. The young people were interested in the statues and were asking questions about the area. The police horses were noticed and questions were asked by the young people. On the bus ride home the young people were quieter due to the long day but content and happily interacting with each other and staff.
Lazer Pumpkins
What a fun day! Some of the young people came down to the base in Jaywick to carve pumpkins after an active morning playing laser tag. They all drew a design onto their pumpkin before taking it in turns, with the guidance of staff, to carve out their pumpkin. Afterwards, to help them settle down, they had the opportunity to decorate some biscuits with icing as a little treat.
Splash Park Trip
Today the IV staff took a selection of children under the age of 12, from Jaywick and Clacton to the Splash Park by the pier.
All seemed to really get along well and enjoyed a few hours of running around and playing in the water, the weather was warm albeit a little cloudy which delivered a comfortable atmosphere for an outdoor session.
Afterwards, we stopped and sat along the sea wall for packed lunches and then went for Icecream.
The children were well behaved throughout the day, even for the walk back to the starting point.
Clip and Climb Trip
Young people from Clacton and Jaywick took part in this climbing activity. The young people really threw themselves into the climbing showing enthusiasm and courage. All the young people worked the clip harnesses well after learning how to use them before entering the climbing area. Three of our young people who had not met each other before showed immense courage choosing to do the ‘leap of faith’. All of the young people said they would love to go there again. They enjoyed a McDonalds on the way home.
Trip to the Woods
We went on a bowling trip and afterwards, we took the young people to get some lunch and drinks, they all behaved well whilst eating, most of the youths found a spot to sit and eat and everyone was concious effort to clean up their rubbish.
We separated on our journey home and two staff members escorted the Jaywick kids back via bus, everyone was very well behaved and there were no issues.
Clacton Beach Trip
We hired a beach hut at the local beach. We provided a walking bus and the young people walked with staff. We were joined by two mums also. The weather was not perfect with a few occasional showsers, this did not stop all the young people and the mum of two that joined us from enjoying the sea. We had fresh wraps, crisps and treats for lunch and was enjoyed by everyone. Lots of laughing, chatting and interacting with all. The two parents enjoyed their time with their children and commented on how nice it was to see their kids playing with their friends.
Flying Seagulls
We were joined by the Flying Seagulls in Clacton and Jaywick. Both communities enjoyed the shows and activities provided. There was tightrope walking, plate spinning, trapeze, diablos, juggling and may more. There was a magic show, entertainment show throughout the day. Many families joined in together with all activities and some old school games such as British bulldog. There was much talk about how both communities would really like The Flying Seagulls to visit again.
Rollerworld Trip
Young people from Clacton and Jaywick were invited to Colchester Rollerworld. We had two new young people join us today who had not been on a day trip with us before. All the young people enjoyed the day and expressed that they would love to return. Some of the young people had not skated before and really got used to it skating confidently and getting up after in good spirits after falls.
Jaywick Beach Trip
We took 11 young people from Jaywick to the beach. We had access to a beach hut from CVST.
The young people really enjoyed the water playing and splashing about with each other. Staff were in the water also with the YPs keeping them safe and playing games with them. We had a sandcastle competition that was enjoyed by all and was noticed favorably by passersby.
The YPs all enjoyed the day and some did not want to leave the water enjoying their time so much. Food and drink was provided and the YPs ate well. Two parents join us at the beach with younger siblings, engaging well with staff and YPs enjoying their day.
Curvewake Trip
Clacton and Jaywick young people were invited. The two Yps from Jaywick that attended have not been on an activity with us before. These two young lads really enjoyed themselves and got on very well with the other young people. They requested to go on some of our other summer holiday activities that are coming up.
One of the young people was very apprehensive about getting into the water. With support from the staff and the other YPS he managed to get into the water and enjoy the inflatables. The young people all rode their bikes well and safely.
Essex Police Positive Action
We also got to have a tour of the custody suite, meet the police dogs, fire arms offices and watched a display of drones used for track and search operations.
All participants were interested, asked engaging questions and were a real credit to themselves. They were also able to express their feelings that they felt judged and looked down on by other people present at the day because of the way they dressed and acted. IV staff were able to reassure them that it was due to a lack of understanding of their situations and it is this which causes tensions within and of different communities. We also explained that this was part of the bigger of picture of division within our society, as conveyed in the poem by Quinton Green – “I am Humanity”.
Bowling Trip
We went on a bowling trip and afterwards, we took the young people to get some lunch and drinks, they all behaved well whilst eating, most of the youths found a spot to sit and eat and everyone was concious effort to clean up their rubbish.
We separated on our journey home and two staff members escorted the Jaywick kids back via bus, everyone was very well behaved and there were no issues.
Football Rounders Day
We took children from the Clacton and Jaywick area to rush green playing field to do a range of multi sports. We played Robbery, frisbee, kick rounders. They had enjoyed the range of sports that we had set out for them during the time we had been there. They worked well in their teams. These had been new games introduced to the children during this time. Jaywick and Clacton worked well together joining up on the games. A few young people were enjoying their social time together and they all joined in. We had individual lunches for each child which included a wrap, fruit and a savoury snack, and bottles of water were provided. A couple was not interested but staff had spent time with those individuals.
Lazertag Trip
What a fantastic location, outside in the countryside with a massive field to play in. The were loads of obstacles and the lazer guns were excellent quality.
The hosts were really down to earth and very welcoming of us, offering for us to stay as long as we liked, even though we had only paid for 1 hour we stayed for 3. Staff were able to join in and it finished with a YP versus staff competition. The rounds lasted just 10minutes each and they were varied in the rules and aims, which gave all the YP a chance to do well. At the end of each round, the YP were pulled together and the results were shared, giving them a chance to receive congratulations. It also motivated the YP to try hard in the next game
BMX Trip
It is excellent to give the YP a taster of BMX riding at a dedicated track, especially as there is one to be built within our area for our YP to use on a regular basis.
Jules is an excellent instructor who can work with YP of any level. He is engaging and able to have a laugh with the YP, tells them stories to inspire them and encourages each one to have a go and not worry if they don’t get it right.
Teambuilding Staff Trip Wales Sept 2020
Tai kindly organised a trip to Wales for staff to develop and experience first hand the anxieties children and young people feel when faced with residential trips away from home.We can't wait to take them as soon as restrictions are lifted.
Splash Park August 2020
We organised a well needed trip to Splash Park for our younger children to let off steam and have a real belly laugh after months of restrictions.
Curve wake trip August 2020
Our big summer bike ride was to Curve Wake waterpark in St Osyth. Many conquered fears of fresh water and jumping from high. Particularly proud of Harry who after 30 minutes deliberating finally took the plunge and had a fantastic time.
