Summer holiday activities for young people - including the modern equivalent of the old-style of National Service - have restarted following the Covid-19 pandemic.
Charity Inspire Suffolk holds a series of activities designed to boost people’s confidence, life skills and their future employment chances.
They include the Prince’s Trust Team Programme for 16 to 25-year-olds not in education, training or employment, where young people work together on a series of team-building activities and projects, and summer holiday clubs - where young people are offered free places as part of Suffolk County Council’s Fit and Fed campaign.
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It also includes National Citizen Service - the modern equivalent of the old-style National Service, where teenagers aged 15 to 17 work together on a social action project instead of a military bootcamp.
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The activities are said to have a huge benefit on young people’s lives, with Inspire Suffolk saying: “You see kids that are shy and lack confidence but really come through. It really does give them that sense of purpose.”
However, the life-changing activities were one of the many casualties of the coronavirus crisis, after being cancelled during lockdown and the subsequent social distancing rules.
Yet many have now restarted, with Inspire Suffolk relaunching the Prince’s Trust Team Programme and National Citizen Service earlier this month along with its Step Forward programme - which aims to support teenagers consider their studies after GCSEs and A-levels.
“These are some of our core activities so it’s great to be back,” the charity said.
Summer holiday club sessions are packed full of sports, games and crafts to keep children active and entertained.
As well as a free packed lunch, children will take part in all the fantastic activities planned by the charity’s Sports Coaches that aim to teach children through play.
Andy Crump, deputy chief executive of Inspire Suffolk, said: “We are pleased to be a part of Suffolk County Council’s Holiday Activities and Food Programme, providing support to parents in Suffolk.
“Services like these are vital, especially as many children have been unable to attend school since March. After months of uncertainty it is great to be back providing an outlet for children to be happy, healthy and enjoy the summer!’
Earlier this year, Inspire Suffolk launched its We Believe in YOUth campaign aims to tackle “head-on” the grave and serious threat posed by Covid-19 to young people’s wellbeing and the youth jobs market.
It says the crisis, which has already seen many firms stop hiring and cut jobs, has a “considerable impact on their hopes for the future” and adds: “These are things we can’t shy away from.”
Its stirring campaign aims not only to alert young people to “innovative new services” the charity can offer to support them but also share inspiring stories of “how others have found the path to a more positive future”.
It aims to highlight positive examples of young people who have improved their lives, such as Cole Guy - who started an apprenticeship with Suffolk County Council after joining the Prince’s Trust Team Programme when his “confidence was extremely low”.
To donate to Inspire Suffolk, visit the charity’s JustGiving page.
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