Positive Futures Now

Look whats been happening with Positive Futures

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Outdoor Education Programme

Working in partnership with Hartlepool Borough Council a six-week pilot programme was delivered with young people from St Bedes Comprehensive School. The aim of the programme was to develop student’s skills in outdoor activities and related environmental subjects to lead to National Governing Body Qualifications.

However above all the students stood to gain massive amount of skills in teamwork, leadership, working with others and safety awareness.

Young people were able to experience climbing, mountain biking canoeing, sailing, gorge walking, some of which the young people would never of been able to access without the program. As part of the program the young people were expected to complete a logbook as evidence of personal development to the school. Each individual had to assess challenges faced, achievements made, skills they felt they had developed and their personal experiences overall.

Young People achieved in the short time the program was running canoe star level one awards, attendance and leadership awards and most improved.

Due to the success of the program and outcomes achieved by the young people this will now be developed into Wellfield and Shotton Hall Comprehensives.

Litter Picking

A group of positive futures children have been helping make an East Durham village cleaner and greener.

The group collected 20 bags of rubbish during a two-day litter pick along the coast at Blackhall Rocks. The event, which was organised as part of the Positive Futures programme, was organised to encourage the young people to take pride in their community.

District of Easington council's Anti-Social Behaviour Unit, which provided litter-picking equipment for the clean up, identified the coastal area in the village as a littering black spot and a suitable target for a litter pick.

Maxine Glew, Positive Futures Coordinator, said " The young people who took part were all volunteers who wanted to have a positive impact on their community"

Drug and alcohol peer education workshops

The Out-There Project has now moved into two new schools working with young people from the Positive Futures program. Individuals from St Bedes and Wellfield Comprehensive Schools have been working through ten weeks worth of education workshops around the dangers of drugs and alcohol. Both schools receive an hour a week from the project working on areas such as, ‘Defining who your peers are, passing on and recording information, drug names and effects, as well as harm reduction and helping agencies.’

Positive Futures are hoping the project will continue their good work into the other targeted schools Shotton Hall and Dene Comprehensives once the workshops are complete.