Date: 19 Mar 2010
On Thursday February 4th 2010 a Kids club launched on the Enfield Island Village for Children aged 7-11years. The Children’s Club is run by EIYCT (Enfield Island Youth and Community Trust) in partnership with Oasis. The Club is held in the Community Centre once a week on a Thursday evening between 4.30pm and 6.00pm.
The club was launched due to the EIYCT discovering through consultation that there is a great need for more after school Children’s provision in the Enfield Lock area and in particular for the Children living on the Island. EIYCT already run a Youth Club on the Island for teenagers but they felt more needed to be done too for younger Children.
The club saw a huge response from the Children in the community and saw 35 children attend on the first week (which is the maximum they can hold in the venue at one time) and it currently has a waiting list of 25 Children that only keeps growing as word is spreading!
The club consists of all kinds of Fun ranging from Craft Activities, Cooking, Drama, Games, Sport, and Competitions with a healthy snack each week. Children who attend have a voice in what they would like to engage in, it offers an environment where the Children can have a sense of belonging, build friendships with new children, their social/emotional well being is enhanced and it is strongly achieving key factors around Every Child Matters and the Children and Young People Plan.
Lead worker on the project Rachel Bird says ‘The Children have really engaged and taken ownership of this project and excelled themselves, their behaviour has been great, they just really appreciate that there is an opportunity for them. It gets kids engaging in something positive rather than just hanging around on the streets’.
The club is mainly run by volunteers from the Oasis Church, the County Council also provide a play worker and parents in the local community also volunteer, working together they all want to be part of making this a success and play a part in making a positive contribution to these children and the community itself.
Due to the success of this Club and the fact that more children want to be part of this, EIYCT are looking into this continuing further and what was a 10 week pilot is now going to become a long term project. They are looking to continue this one night a week up until the end of August with some summer activities on offer and then from September the plan is for it to run 2 nights a week. The trust is looking for potential partners to join in with this great exciting community initiative, to help expand the work that is been achieved amongst these youngsters.