The VVU joined Essex Boys and Girls Clubs last Thursday, at First Site in Colchester, for the presentation evening of the Respect Project.
The Respect Project is an early intervention programme for 13-14 year olds, run by Essex Boys and Girls Clubs and funded by the VVU. It’s designed to help Y9’s who are struggling in school to re-engage with their education, give coping skills to deal with life’s problems, build their mental resilience, self-confidence and improve their mental wellbeing.
The young people chosen to take part in Respect, participate in an eight-week life skills project – one evening a week for eight weeks – which ends with a week long residential stay in the Lake District. While in the Lake District the young people climb mountains, do night walks, build dens, work together to cook, clean, wash up, have campfires and enjoy woodcraft sessions.
The experience fosters a sense of team work and achievement, giving the young people some independence and responsibility to tackle new things. The programme ends with a celebratory presentation evening where the young people receive a certificate and an ASDAN qualification.
A sense of achievement
The young people at Thursday’s event were from the Colchester cohort, attending four different secondary schools in the Colchester borough. Having seen these young people at the start of their Respect journey the difference in them was incredible.
82% of the young people reported much better mental wellbeing scores, they also individually talked about improved confidence, making friends, becoming less anxious. The young people were so positive about the experience of being in the Lake District – climbing mountains, sleeping out under the stars and working as a team – although they were much less enthusiastic about having to do the washing up themselves!
One young person summed up the experience by saying: “If I can climb a mountain, then I can put my hand up in class.” Another said: “It has made me think I can achieve things if I put my mind to it.”
Well done to all the young people who were part of this experience and we look forward to hearing how the Harlow, Chelmsford and Basildon cohorts got on
