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Get Real was a holiday programme providing opportunities for young people to access new environments. Over the course of five weeks, a series of residential breaks were organised in Herefordshire and Worcestershire to engage young people from urban areas. Funding came from the Big Lottery Fund. The objective of the holidays was to give young people the opportunity to get out of their normal daily routine, to enable them to experience new activities and to open their eyes to new environments. Over the five weeks, 86 young people aged 12 to 17 from across the West Midlands and many deprived inner city areas participated in the Get Real breaks. Activities included canoeing down the River Wye, feeding farm animals, fruit picking, building steps on an Iron Age fort, and horse riding. The activities gave the young people a chance to develop many different skills. Their confidence grew as they tried new activities, such as horse riding, and spent time talking to new people and in some cases being away from home for the first time. They learned new practical skills such as how to read a map, willow weaving and, in some cases, how to ride a bike, and always left at the end of the week with a sense of achievement. The weeks took place at the height of Big Brother mania, and some groups insisted on watching the reality TV series every night. The organisers used this theme and developed their own 'Big Brother house' where the group faced various challenges, which included doing the Hokey Cokey and cleaning 20 pairs of dirty boots. As one organiser said: 'We didn't get one complaint: they seemed keen to take on any chore. Popular culture can be useful at times!' All content copyright © 1986-2008 BTCV Ltd. Registered charity No. 261009 |
