LONDON WORK/EXPERIENCE

David's Work Experience took place at The Paradise Zone Youth Centre in the East End of London from the 4th to the 8th of April 2011 generally at the following times and changing according to needs: Monday 11am - 3pm & 5.30 - 9, Tuesday 11am - 7pm, Wednesday 10am - 3pm & 5.30 - 8pm, Thursday 10.30 – 3.30 & 5.30 – 8pm and Friday 11 - 5

David did lots of preparation before sessions like buying ingredients for cooking & planning activities like the 'Going Camping' game for the Young Leaders Project. For each session he set up the main room, put equipment, games and the Carrom Board out, switched the PS2 & WII on, set up the pool & table tennis tables, put out drinks and the fruit bowl, set up the art table, put music on & set up the IT room.

Other prep work he did included:

• Risk assessment – looking at hazards etc
• Session briefing & Reflection
• Studied clubs policies & documents ie. Aims, Framework, Equal Ops
• Learning British Sign Language

During sessions whether 1:1 or group evening Open Sessions or day time School Sessions or the Young Leader Project, David signed young people in, got to know them (even using BSL when he could) and worked with and supported them teaching skills and learning from them when appropriate. He ran activities like making origami bunnies and cards with young people with complex needs, did worksheets on subjects such as homophones with a home-schooled girl, ran a scavenger hunt round Poplar with the Young Leader Project and a plethora of other activities including Easter Egg Hunts and Egg and Spoon races, cooking chocolate Easter egg nests, playing musical bunny statues & cotton ball bunny tails with different groups. David also did things like set up the tables for lunch & clear up with the young people and after sessions evaluate the session with the team and switch off, put away, tidy up, clear away and lock up.

For specific groups David had to adapt activities like providing more support in activities for those with specific learning needs and disabilities, providing Easter egg alternatives as gifts for Easter when a member of the group was diabetic, in the Young Leader Project was willing to be led by other young people in games such as tangle hands and line up and used sign language as appropriate. As part of David's development and experience he also observed a British Sign Language Exam at an Idea Store, sat in on a Supervision meeting, climbed at the local Mile End Climbing wall, visited local meeting/eating places such as the Departure Lounge and Noodle Street and the centre cafe for Thursday Breakfast Club.

He did all that as well as experiencing some of London's places of interest, history and culture as can be seen in the picture below...

St Patrick's Day 2008

St Patrick's day this year meant some of the usual and some of the less usual.

• Wearing green
• Wearing the shamrock.
• St Patrick's day cards
• Guiness shamrock hats in the market
• Patrick playing Molly Malone on the Piano

But the hi-light of St Patricks day for me was when one 14 year old left the St Patrick's day festivities at the local pub to come to club. As he entered he gave me his Guinness hat (some symbolism there?).

He spent two hours at club rather than at the pub. He spent two hours being a young person rather than trying to act older than he felt. He spent two hours working with others, playing games and being creative and doing silly things like going on an easter egg hunt and a bunny tail/cotton ball race and he left with a bag (which he designed himself) full of goodies and a smile on his face...it was a Happy St Patrick's Day.