Summer School | building language and knowledge
September 2024
Each August we run a summer school, with language and skills sessions designed to minimise social isolation, improve English and help young people prepare for the new academic year.
The long summer break is often challenging for displaced young people, increasing their sense of isolation. We want to counter this; providing the opportunity to spend the holidays experiencing and learning new things, having fun and building relationships.
Building on the success of previous Summer Schools, we ran another full month of summer school activities in August. To meet increasing demand, we expanded our provision to offer one day per week dedicated to those in hotel accommodation.
We ran multiple sessions at Surrey Outdoor Learning and Development, focused on building literacy, numeracy and communication skills through activities such as climbing and ropes courses. It's always profoundly impactful for young people to be out of their rooms and in fresh air and nature, and our time at SOLD was filled with hilarity, great conversation and many new friendships.
We also spent a week at Surrey University, focused on Living Safely in the UK. We were joined by officers from Surrey Police, students from the University of Surrey Nursing Society, lawyers from Junior Lawyers Against Poverty and local faith leaders.
Five different faith leaders attended, and we spoke about multiculturalism and how faiths can and should coexist peacefully. We examined how politics often masquerades as religious intolerance and what people can do if their faiths are attacked. There was plenty of time to learn about different religions and ask questions of the faith leaders.
We finished with a visit to the cathedral, where many of the young people wanted to place a prayer on the prayer tree. It was moving to see how many young people were focused on praying for peace. We want to thank all the leaders who attended for generously sharing their time and experiences.
Last year, the day we spent with Surrey Police was significant for the young people we support, shattering pre-existing fears and rebuilding trust with the police. This year was equally as powerful.
The long summer break is often challenging for displaced young people, increasing their sense of isolation. We want to counter this; providing the opportunity to spend the holidays experiencing and learning new things, having fun and building relationships.
Building on the success of previous Summer Schools, we ran another full month of summer school activities in August. To meet increasing demand, we expanded our provision to offer one day per week dedicated to those in hotel accommodation.
We ran multiple sessions at Surrey Outdoor Learning and Development, focused on building literacy, numeracy and communication skills through activities such as climbing and ropes courses. It's always profoundly impactful for young people to be out of their rooms and in fresh air and nature, and our time at SOLD was filled with hilarity, great conversation and many new friendships.
We also spent a week at Surrey University, focused on Living Safely in the UK. We were joined by officers from Surrey Police, students from the University of Surrey Nursing Society, lawyers from Junior Lawyers Against Poverty and local faith leaders.
Five different faith leaders attended, and we spoke about multiculturalism and how faiths can and should coexist peacefully. We examined how politics often masquerades as religious intolerance and what people can do if their faiths are attacked. There was plenty of time to learn about different religions and ask questions of the faith leaders.
We finished with a visit to the cathedral, where many of the young people wanted to place a prayer on the prayer tree. It was moving to see how many young people were focused on praying for peace. We want to thank all the leaders who attended for generously sharing their time and experiences.
Last year, the day we spent with Surrey Police was significant for the young people we support, shattering pre-existing fears and rebuilding trust with the police. This year was equally as powerful.
"In my country, police don't play games and help people. I don't think them in my country, but here I do."
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Summer School finished with a Sports Day. We played dodgeball, netball and ultimate frisbee before an afternoon of garden games, including the old favourites of sack races, egg and spoon, and Human Hungry Hippos.
It was a fantastic month, and the feedback from participants was overwhelmingly positive. The improvements in language skills, confidence and knowledge of life in the UK blew us away. It was wonderful to see friendships grow and for young people to have a summer holiday filled with fun and learning.
We'd like to extend a special thank you to the Surrey High Sheriff Youth Awards, Surrey Outdoor Learning and Development and Surrey University Widening Participation and Outreach Team for funding our Summer School programme this year. We are so grateful for your support.
It was a fantastic month, and the feedback from participants was overwhelmingly positive. The improvements in language skills, confidence and knowledge of life in the UK blew us away. It was wonderful to see friendships grow and for young people to have a summer holiday filled with fun and learning.
We'd like to extend a special thank you to the Surrey High Sheriff Youth Awards, Surrey Outdoor Learning and Development and Surrey University Widening Participation and Outreach Team for funding our Summer School programme this year. We are so grateful for your support.
summer school gallery
project archive
Summer School 2021Language and skills sessions to minimise isolation, improve English skills and prepare for the academic year.
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PO Box 1655, Guildford, GU1 9JS
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