We took a group of young adult carers to Edinburgh in March 2022 for a well deserved short break following some very trying times during the last few years to alleviate the stress of caring providing fun activities to develop friendships and to make lasting memories.
They enjoyed Hairspray the musical, went to the cinema, bowling, laser quest, escape rooms, visited the zoo, went shopping, viewed many Edinburgh sights and enjoyed some exceptional eating out in various restaurants in Edinburgh.
We also provide weekly groups and 1 -1 support to young carers aged 5-25 years living in East Ayrshire.
The project took children and young people with epilepsy (YPE), their siblings and parent/carers on two weekend residential breaks in Sept and Oct 2021 to Ardentinny Outdoor Education Centre (AOEC). These trips gave them opportunities to take part in fun, challenging activities.
During the summer holidays 38 young carers living in a family impacted by Huntington’s disease took a break from their caring responsibilities by attending an activity day. Young carers took part in a programme of activities including archery, kayaking, paddle boarding and bowling.
We provided an 9 day Summer Club, for children with complex support needs.
This was originally planned for the summer of 2020, but was eventually delivered, with changes in 2021 An actvity and play based club for children unable to access community run schemes due to their support needs.
We provided 261 activity clubs for deaf children via Zoom; 4 face-to-face at St Roch’s After-School Club and a cinema trip bringing deaf young people together, enjoying time with their peers alleviating the isolation & loneliness experienced whilst giving their carers the opportunity to have a break
Autism Friendly Football allowed young people on the autistic spectrum to come together once a week to make friends, build confidence and have fun.
The sessions took place at Pro Soccer Newton Mearns every Wednesday for young people between 6-16 years old.
We delivered weekly group and individual remote music sessions, 3 days per week over a period of 5 weeks for autistic children and young people. A number of short videos were created and a podcast.
We ran Columba 1400 Virtual Leadership Academies involving 20 Young Carers from East Ayrshire. Delivered online due to Covid-19, the project gave young carers the opportunity to build relationships, increase confidence, have fun with others, reflect on their values and set goals for the future.
Our project provided 86 opportunities (including joint activities) bringing our deaf young people together. Events were held at Deaf Connections, the Adelphi Centre, St Roch’s and latterly, our new Youth Group home, the Wolfson Centre with other activities being held in a variety of other venues.
We took young people and their families for a mixture of half day sails, day sails on a modified sailing yacht. In consultation with youth forum members we will tailor a programme leading to RYA certification including 2/3 day sails.