Summer 2007

Two great collages done by M & Hanifa...they tell you its summer even if the weather doesn't!

Summer Club 2006 Part 6 - The End

Summer Club finished on a high...with a live broadcast of two radio shows by two groups of the young people...

1 TIME BOOGIE

John: Devised interview

Ainsley & Craig: Wrote script for presenters

Thomas & Craig: Presented show

Ricky: Planned news item & read news

Sarah: Interviewer

Josh: Planned/produced on paper

All: Devised jingles & Vox Pops

EXPLOSIVE: THE REAL MUSIC HOUR

Keeley & Kelly: devised presenter script & presented show

Thomas: wrote & read the news

Sarah: Produced on paper & live show

All: devised jingles & Vox Pops

Both shows went out live and were recorded for posterity and for the people who couldn't be bothered to tune in (maybe we should have told people but then if it turned out to be rubbish there would be embarrassment instead of the jubilation which was felt...).

The shows had music, interviews, vox pops, jingles and news and views...all planned and delivered by the young people...There were jokes, bizarre references to Tracey Capman's gender, texts and emails from listeners and offers of marriage...

Bothe the one hour shows can be heard soon in the archive section of

XSTREAMEAST RADIO

Hilight of the day was when Ricky and Craig were listening to Thomas reading the news on the radio show and then enter the room they are in. Ricky looks at Thomas, then looks at the computer where Thomas is still speaking 'live' from the radio studio and looks back to Thomas who is listening to himself...Ricky hadn't been told about the the 30 second lag time which allows for this phenomena...when he is told Ricky is relieved...the world makes sense again.

Thanks to the guys at On the One for some great workshops and a great experience we hope to repeat.

Summer Club Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5

La le la, la le la...la la la la...bippity boppity...i have a teapot on my head...and sunflowers in my ears...and a happy smile on my face...stop now turn back...don't do it...lemon drizzle cake...mmmm...love hearts...i'm living on the edge of a marshmallow lake...fishing for some sugar fish...in particular a hammerhead shark made of jelly...and jelly fish made of jaffa cakes...and a giant peach in the sky like the sun while we row across the lake singing songs that we don't know and blue men wave while we rock the boat...and climb down the side of the pasta bake boat to swim in the lake...while it rained smoothies and custard and we arrived on paradise island which was a giant table tennis table and bowled using table tennis balls which knocked over the cups which hid the pom poms, is it here? no. Here? no. and under the shade of a rope and spaghetti bolognese tree we found the icecream slope taking us underground and around to start all over again...la le la....

If u have bothered reading down this far...I'm sorry I'm all blogged out...I feel something like a chicken with sticky feathers in icecream...u no the feeling...

BOK!... BOK! BOK! - BOK! BOK!...BAAAAAHHHHHK! ....said the chicken to the tiramisu.

If u have read this far u have almost completed the test...to finish enter in a comment the word the chicken said when she saw the banana split covered in vermicelli (sprinkles as we would call them or 100s & 1000s)

Summer Club 2006 Part 5

Summer Club continued with another meeting with Katie from Trees for Cities. The session began with a game, like Monopoly except the object of the game was to plant trees.

Some of the reasons people give for not having trees were identified and ways to overcome such barriers were found.

Concerns with subsidence could be alleviated with the positioning of trees further away from buildings or the planting of smaller trees with smaller roots. This was also a useful solution to concerns about blocking views and sunlight.

The positive outcomes of having trees were discussed, some of them were the following:

• they give oxygen
• they are a necessary parr of the life of a tree-hugger
• they give shade and shelter
• they provide birds and animals with homes
• they provide us and animals with fruit and nuts
• they provide snogging cover...ie. X & X sittin in a tree K.i.S.S.I.N.G
• they are great to climb
• they provide us with a sustainable source of fuel/paper
• they give us conkers and helicopters
• they are pretty
• they are related to Ents
  

After the game we went out to a nearby park to record the 'before' and make suggestions for the 'after'...including types of trees and shrubs, art work and other improvements to the area.

The project will continue into next year and will include our involvement in more planning, the promotion of and the running and participation in a Tree planting festival/party.

So then came a 3 day residential...camping.

Friday we met in the morning travelled to Hainault Country park, settled in and had lunch. Then we there were introductions to the staff & an overview of the programme and a tour of the site...

Then we gathered twigs, branches and great big logs for the campfire after dinner ....

...and toasted marshmallows and sang songs ...or at least the first lines or chorus of many half-remembered songs...accompanied by Will on the guitar and various percussionists, into the early hours of the morning.

...a perfect example of a toasted marshmallow... crunchy on the outside & soft in the middle - like an armadillo but tastier.

The 'penguin experience' was also shared by Emma with the group. It did not involve the flapping black and white bird kind but the chocolatey variety...as the bird variety would not a) enjoy being dunked in a hot drink and b) fit in the mug. For the penguin connoisseurs - here is a recap of the stages: first take diagonal bites at either end of the penguin (again the live penguin might not appreciate this), then dunk and sip through it like a chocolatey penguin straw which melts the inside bit in the biscuit and then turn over and eat. I have not yet mastered this skill. I may need to attend future master classes in the 'penguin experience' and may have to arm myself with a catering size pack of penguins...

...what I will do to improve my education knows no bounds!

Saturday raining, sunny then raining and sunny, began with sharing breakfast with an infestation of wasps followed by a series of games of cards to win the privilege of being the first to plunge into the freezing cold outdoor swimming pool.

Thomas won the privilege. He was thrilled.

He took no time at all to plunge into the pool.

At one point, because of the changeable weather, Thomas ended up, in full waterproofs, his cold starting to make a comeback, watching us from the side of the pool as we were swimming and playing piggy in the middle, in a hysterical fervour, in the rain...there is something about swimming in the rain...apart from the cold and wetness...there is something upsurd about watching someone in waterproofs on dry land while you are swimming in an outdoor pool in the rain playing piggy in the middle...upsurd but strangely appealing...I don't know why.

Keeley and me followed this with blackberry picking and the spotting of the 'wasp spider' - look and gasp! Everyone else did. They were all nonchalant, yeah they went, a wasp-spider, sure...whatever - then they saw the photo on my digital camera and the looks of horror were comical . Our theory on the wasp spider (the name we gave it) was that it was tryign to entice wasps into its web by pretending to be a wasp of the opposite sex...maybe I will Google it some day when I eventually finish this post.

Then came rounders...where I found out how fit I wasn't but how amazing our young volunteers are when they organised a game after ours so that the other younger group could play and made it so that they never got bored and that when they got out went to field for the other team. We played until dark. It reminded me of when I played as a kid in Ireland...we did the same and there was a mix like we had of ages and abilities except I was they youngest instead of oldest and back then I was the one who didn't have a clue and just ran.

Thomas was 'man of the match' and got a well deserved round of applause for his single handed endeavours to keep his diminishing team still in the game. Only he and one of the younger group were left batteing for his team. He had to get her and himself round while more than a dozen others were fielding against him - he ran his guts out and against the odds got an amazing 9 (tell me if I am wrong and i will change it) rounders...and nearly threw up in ther process...such was his commitment and willingness to go on and carry his team forward. It was a joy to see.

Cooking for 25 people was a challenge at times but dealt with very well by the young people as was the clearing up and wash up after...sometimes even Emma and I helped. The soya protein and tomato surprise wrap invention of Lucy and her kitchen crew went down well and this was followed by a night walk across fields (dung-dodging) and into the forest with hot drinks and chat again until late.

Sunday, after breakfast we had a Treasure Hunt won by Sarah and Keeley's team which was followed by our Ropes Challenge across a slimey algae ridden river using ropes, wire and tyres to cross aided by encouragement and teamwork.

The first warm-up challenge was a team challenge which we completed in record time...this was followed by the Maltese cross...where the challenge was to get across from one platform to another via two diagonal ropes crossed in the middle.

Next came the tyre challenge, on which I was offered the option crawl because of the disastrously awful ability to balance and my quickness to fall, not once, twice or three times but more than I care to count. The instructor was worried that I was about to bounce off the tyres and smack my head on the bank of the river. I was just worried that if I fell the wrong way I could get stuck in a tyre and have to be forced out of it in some unflattering way that involved St John's Ambulance and lots of vaseline on surgical gloves.

There were ways we should have crossed parts of the rope course which Jim always seemed to manage to accomplish, being part spider, but sometimes it was just a matter of finding any way that it was possible to cross without falling in to the pea-soup carpet.

Sarah shows here the correct way to cross the second tyre challenge while I show the incorrect, but only possible way for me to have crossed it without ending up in the soup. This involved the throwing of my body in the vague direction of a tyre and flailing in an attempt at grabbing the rope at the same time, then desperately wrapping my legs aroung the tyre to position myself astride it to sit and have a long rest before I went on to the next one and start all over again while the strength slowly went from my arms creating an expanding painful Popeye effect in my fore arms, a racing heart and ragged lungs and on top of all that 'Elvis leg' in both legs...in short -it hurt and I was rubbish but got there eventually.

We encouraged, coaxed, cheered and supported each other. There were even times when singing a song was the necessary ingredient. Craig got our best rendition of 'Show me the way to Amarillo' as well as 'Don't stop me now'...he got there in the end.

Emma, however, ended up in the soup...I will add afer a valiant effort both directions on the crossing and hung on til the end...and did manage to keep her hair dry... and to smile all the way!

After lunch and a shower, tent down, packed - we had one last penguin hot drink and said our goodbyes before heading home.

Thanks Lucy and Will...

(I know I have left stuff out and would be glad of any reminders...and will update asap...and probably should have written this better but its so long that if I continued I might begin to lose the will to live...so sorry about the ramble...I suppose I could just have said - it was great and the young people were great and the weather didn't stop us!)

Summer Club Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

Summer Club 2006 Part 4

ROWING

A week rowing at London Regatta Centre began with two people who had rowed once, and five who had never rowed before...one of whom was dreading even stepping foot on a boat.

Day 1...started with an introduction to rowing and the regatta centre. We trecked off site to try out some bell boats...like two canoes stuck together. They were a great introduction to the water. They were more stable than other boats and with ten people paddling we managed to do the triathalon route with a little bit of effort.

Day 2...We started on the rowing machines, then went into the water tank and then onto the water.

On the machines we looked at positioning of the body...

and raced on computer...

Craig won the 250m and Josh the pace setting.

In the training tank you got to feel how it was to use proper blades (oars) and what they felt like in water.

It felt different in water...things like lifting the blades out of the water without bashing your knuckles were a challenge.

...but then came the rowing...on open water...which moved and wasn't flat like in the tank...causing rocking of the boat which was unsettling while the uneveness of the water meant burying your blade, falling out of time or tangling blades were frequent events on the first day.

Day 3: Craig's Birthday & he announces the fact to all. Between training in the tank and on the water...there was Birthday Cake, peaches and party games & making a new friends like Bobby.

Day 4: The crew was coming together learning from Sam their coach, the most important lesson...timing. The crew had a practice race and came 3rd. Craig went out with another crew who was short a rower and got some pointers on his performance and came first in a practice race. And I went out then in Craig's place with our crew and found it very hard having had less training than the others...I wasn't a good Craig replacement - they did much better with Craig.

The goal was set to row together...and not come last in the regatta the next day.

Day 5: The Regatta. We got our Red T-shirts and places in the races.

Da Crew

The crew did their first official regatta race for the Reds.

It was nail biting. They got off to an uneven start but with focus on timing they steadily speeded up and kept a constant pace while Greens edging ahead one moment and the next inches behind and for seconds they were neck and neck until the greens lost it and the Reds pipped them to the post to win their first official regatta race and automatically get a place in the final.

I was shouting so much and was so excited that I didn't take a picture of them crossing the finish line...but you can imagine it. To help you I recreated the moment above.

They returned to us to the sound of applause and cheering...they had succeeded in their task...they rowed together and they didn't come last in the Regatta...they were now 4th out of about 20 crews from three different centres.

And although they weren't in the medals they were winners in all respects...

Starting from being afraid to even board the boat, not knowing how to board a boat, what the different parts are, what is needed in terms of safety or how to row individualy or as a group to being out on a boat all week, dealing with cuts and bruises, ups and downs and building a crew that is able to work together as a team to get to the final of a regatta.

I was proud of our crew.

The worked hard.

They never gave up.

(Even with bloody & bruised knuckles.)

And they conquered their fears.

On weeks like this I know why I became a youthworker...because of weeks like this and young people like these I continue.

Thank you Sarah, Keeley, Craig & Josh...and Rejoice & Emma for making my work a pleasure.

(PS if I have left stuff out that should be there...or if you have anything you would like to add let me know)

Summer Club Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

Summer Club 2006 Part 3

The end of the second week of Summer Club continued with Poplar Pirates (5-9s) in the mornings and Urban Escape (10+) in the afternoons and some evenings (Week 1 & start of Week 2: Part 1 & Part 2).

Juniors finished summer club with a visit by Poplar Pirates to Hawaii...which, it was discovered does not feature in many modern maps for some reason (a piece of island shaped blu-tac rectified this matter). The Poplar Pirates limbo-ed, made Hama bead designs and made fruit kebabs to take home. All loved the two weeks - the only thing they didn't enjoy was walking on trips (the modern automobile's fault, in my opinion)

The end of the second week of Urban Escape included another climbing session, Blue Man Group and a trip to the Snowdome in Tamworth...

Bokhila proved the old proverb that you shouldn't judge anything by just doing it once...(there isn't such a proverb or if there is I can't remember what it is and if not there should be) Bokhila hated climbing on the first session at Mile End Climbing Wall and hardly got off the ground, however on the second session despite the fact that she had planned not to join in, despite the fact that she had decided that she hated climbing and despite the fact that she had jeans that weren't suitable for climbing, she had a go and found that not only was it not as bad as the previous session but she got to the top of a couple of high routes and even enjoyed herself.

On our way to Blue Man Group we stopped off at Covent Garden for some of the free entertainment that the area is famous for - and we weren't disappointed. We were treated to a comedy act, featuring a 10 foot ladder, a unicycle, 6 juggling bats and a rubber glove.

Blue Man Group was a huge hit...even with Keeley who saw it for the third time...we won't give away the surprises but the pictures might tell some of the secrets. It was a show the whole family would enjoy...although if you sit at the front you will need a rain coat. The Blue Men signed autographs after...in true Blue Man style - with blue paint finger prints.

At the Snowdome we tobogganed and skiied...on real snow! Rejoice won the 'Most Spectacular Fall' award, with Ainslie coming a close second. Loriamah won the Unintentionally Backward Skiing Award while Craig won the Toboganning & Skiing with One Lense in My Glasses Award and Sarah, the Toboganning Crash End Prize as well as the Skiing Upright & in the Right Direction in a Blizzard Award. Special Life-time Achievement Awards in Skiing go to Craig and Keeley who brought two new skiing manoeuvers to the ski slopes, the 'Frozen Chicken Slide' and the 'The Funky Chicken Groove', respectively.

And of course Gordon gets the 'We Couldn't Have Done it Without Him Award' for stepping in at the last minute to drive us to the Snowdome and to share with us hsi expertise in skiing (even when he found it difficult to do so having to constantly stop his borrowed salopettes from falling down).

Summer Club 2006 Part 2

I'm in that 'jus gone-to-sleep 'n' jus woken-up-when-i-should-be-asleep' modes...I desperately need sleep but on the Wednesday night of Week 2 of Summer Club know that sleep can be an illusive commodity and that all I have to do if I can't stop thinking (with the West Wing in mind wouldn't it be great to have people paid to think for you?) that all I need do is pick up Nineteen Eight Four and I will, after reading the same line 11 times, fall into a dead sleep with no dreams, which is preferable to the strange ones last week about a man and a shovel and a girl landing on my desk from the ceiling.

So onto... Summer Club Part 2 (Mon-Wed Week 1: Part 1)

Juniors (aged 5-9) in the mornings continue with Poplar Pirates and seniors (aged 10+) in the afternoons and evenings have Urban Escape 2006

The juniors were mudlarks in a great trip to Docklands Museum and finished off the first week with a relaxed open session where they all finished their snakes and frogs (they had already taken away their trees & aquariums) . Monday we sailed to China where they made origami hats and fans, decorated chop sticks and completed a mini-obstacle course, Tuesday they went to Mexico and made and played guitars and played Mexican Bingo and on Wednesday we went to Stratford Discover Centre and took part in an African drumming workshop, made puppets and stories and explored the centre . (See Emma's blog for details)

Urban Escape Hi-lights Part 2 (Mon-Wed Week 1: Hilights in Part 1)

The two new radio shows produced by the young people had their finishing touches added....music decided upon and scripts written. A rehearsal will follow at club some time in August and at the end of August their one hour shows 1-time Boogie and Explosive:The Real Music Hour will be aired live for everyone to tune into...and will be archived for posterity.

Bowling at Surrey Quays went down well and was, as Thomas pointed out (and surprisingly) ...very positive and supportive (when he mentioned competitiveness was he referring to last year with Wayne I wonder?). Thomas perfected the 'lobster method' and was called upon by many to 'lobster' their bowling balls so that they might score. That was the power of the lobster.

We lost some people to holidays but gained others like Kirsty, Conor and Georgie who didn't let a broken foot get in the way of beating Josh at table-tennis 'round the table' and getting to the final with Keeley who after a hard fought battle won.

Boules made a surprising comeback...we had planned to go out to do games/sport and with rain threatening and plenty to do inside we put it off to another time. Conor and Ainslie were close in the 2006 Boules Championship...but Ainslie pipped him to the post...Conor is planning a comeback though.

Everyone enjoyed Wings - the local Chinese All-you-can-eat Buffet and tried to test the 'all-you-can-eat' theory...and some even tried using chopsticks - successfully.

Thomas' great work with the Juniors will be missed as he is gone to Spain... and he is & will be misse in senior club - we enjoyed his company greatly, playing table tennis, cooking, in the drama, producing the radio show, going to the theatre, bowling and at the chinese meal. He is bloging from Spain so check his blog out.

Kevin wowed the young people with his magic skills and taught them all some illusions to try on others whether with paper, ropes or cup and ball, all tried their skills out on each other and then on their friends and family ...we already have an eye on the junior Christmas party...what with Craig as Father Christmas in the Quiet Room Grotto and other young people putting on a magic show its half planned already.

Diane once more led a merry band of cooks, this time Keeley, Josh, Georgie and Kirsty to produce a sumptuous meal for the 15 of us...more chicken, pasta bake, spaghetti bolognese, trifle and chocolate fruit gateau....mmmmmmm.

Everyone met Katie from Trees for Cities and figured out what tree they are 'personality-wise' and planned a date to meet again to talk about how we might improve the local area/environment...and get involved in art projects and tree planting in the future to those ends.

A climbing session at Mile End Climbing Wall had spiderman Conor hanging off rooves and spiderman Josh flying up walls like a rat up a drainpipe.... Old professionals like Keeley, Sarah and Craig showed others how it was done...Ricky knew no fear...Kelly overcame the 'Elvis Leg' to get to the top of a great climb.. Bukhila did brilliantly for her first ever time climbing...and all this was watched, filmed and photographed by Kirsty & Georgie.

A session at Tooting Bec Lido was planned for Wednesday but with weather as it was (changeable) the young people decided they wanted to do something else instead. They were told that they had 5 minutes to decide what they wanted to do. They had £5 per person and travelcards - so after a quick debate (in which they nearly chose to have a club open session - such is the addiction to table-tennis and probably the lure of more magic tricks) they decided on a game of bowling...which Conor, Kelly and Keeley had missed the previous week. Ricky and Josh won this time with Craig coming in a close second (just missing by 2 points) . Kelly had set her goal to be to beat Ainslie, which she succeeded in doing despite Ainslie's attempts to use Thomas' 'lobster' method. And Craig suggested a bowling club at club...must think that through.

As the round-the-table addiction continues...we are considering starting the TA - Table-tennisers Anonymous but the consequences of being mistaken for the Territorial Army have implications which are too far reaching...imagine it - you are sitting in a circle trying to help each other through beating the table-tennis addiction...how long before the person in combats/fatigues and camouflage figures out its the wrong TA and how long before they admit it...and what happens when the helicopters circle over head and a tank turns up in the car park?

Its time to sleep now...tomorrow is one of those 12+ hour days...or other-wise known as 'caffeine days' or aka....Summer Club.

Summer Club 2006 Part 1

Its only day 3 of summer club and it seems....more. Juniors (aged 5-9) in the mornings have Poplar Pirates and seniors (aged 10+) in the afternoons and evenings have Urban Escape 2006

So far Emma, with her trusty shipmates Josh, Craig, Thomas, Sarah and Keeley and the below deck crew Rhonda, Wendy and Daisy have taken the Poplar Pirates on a fabulous adventure to Egypt, the Rainforest and Australia, with games, activities and creativity along the way.

See Emma's blog for details, hi-lights and the rest of the adventure and great ideas for activities for 5-9 year olds - link to follow.

Urban Escape hi-lights so far:

The Smoothie Bar run by Craig & Ainslie producers of the infamous Johnski and Webski

Original Designer Mugs by Bukhila, Bethan, Rebecca, John, Ainslie, Kelly, Rejoice, Runtendo and Loriamah.

Round the Table - table tennis (becoming an obsession of all) developing the Kevin 'change' and the Craig 'twist' - sure to become an olympic sport for 2012.

Bethan starting the new fad - Lucky Sox...socks painted with a shamrock on them and the word Lucky in green...watch out Sock Shop

A magic taster from Kevin which rivalled anything Thomas had seen or understood...how ever hard he tried. Magic school to start next week...Harry Potter need not apply.

Bugs and Butterflies by many and a Hammer-head Shark papier-mache skeleton by Keeley, Ricky & Josh to be finished & added to wall/sky or the net hanging from the cabin on Paradise Island - unless wanted on loan by the Tate Modern.

Drama workshop run by Keeley with some great improvisations, a pilot workshop for future ones in autumn and leading to some possible performances - which will obviously take the West End by storm.

Diane had Thomas and Craig and then Ainslie, Josh and John in the kitchen throughout the cooking of enough pasta bake, BBQ and Southern Fried Chicken and fruit custard tart to feet 18...although the multitudes could have been fed had we not had second and third helpings.

An impromptu outdoor comedy club evening enjoyed by Canary Wharf and the only four cockneys in a crowd of picnic rugs - Thomas, Keeley, Josh & Craig...on a picnic rug.

Josh (disappointed that he did not get a frozen chicken for his birthday) received with grace his Superman shield poster, Tangfastic Haribo and clothes line pegs...and cheesey tag-line explanation - they were chosen as presents because he is Super, Tangfastic and a Peg above the rest.

First radio production session with Cameron and Rob, in which John, Craig, Ainslie and Ricky's radio show One Time Boogie began life and Thomas, Keeley, Kelly, Sarah and Bukhili developed Explosion: The Real Music Hour...sure to be rivals to leading radio shows on leading radio stations like Radio 2 (Wendy listen out)

We Will Rock You at the Dominion only outperformed by 16 people from the Paradise Zone (who had just been to see it), 7 Spanish people, some Chinese people and other sundry tourists on a Number 15 bus singing a varied repetoire of The Wheels on the Bus go Round and Round, We Will Rock You, Reach for the Stars, We are the Champions, Happy Birthday to Josh, Summer Holiday and many more.

Here's Urban Escape 2005

day one

Seems like a good idea, not a new one, its been done before - just not by me.

I'm someone who needs to be motivated by challenge. I'm not into new year's resolutions, no they are more frequent than that - new week's resolutions...Monday morning, I tell myself, I will change the world or at least my world, whatever version I am living in.

Officially it is summer time, the clocks went forward an hour, we all lost an hour's sleep...I'm plannin' on losing more. It seems like a perfect time to begin again...I'm not going to wait 'til Monday.