52nd Ayrshire are organising a group camp for all our young people (both male and female) who attend all three of our scout sections - 50 young people plus 

The camp will take place in June 2024  from a Friday afternoon to late Sunday afternoon

During this time the group will participate in indoor and outdoor activities . Some young people will camp outdoors while others will stay inside in dormitories or hobbit huts

The activities included are:

• Caving
• Archery
• Low ropes
• Orienteering/geocaching
• Indoor curling
• Giant board games
• Crafts
• Backwoods cooking
• Den building
• Late night Hike and Camp Fire

During camp we will provide everyone with three 2 course hot nutritious meals as well as snacks including fruit and hot and cold drinks through the day

6 wooden tresele tables cost = £101.94 each Total £611.64 for all youths in the group to do arts and crafts and cooking in the scout hall and any other activities like parties and board games

2 x6 man tents for wild camping for the Cubs Scouts Explores to sample wild camping outsway Tipi £116.99 each Total £233.98

4 x Portable Gas Burners for kids to learn to cook in the scout hall ready for camping in the wild cost £22.93 Total £91.72 includes gas

6 x wooden chopping Boards for cooking in scout hall and wild camping cost £10.93 each Total  £65.58

All kids in the group can learn new skills and have fun doing it safely with the items requested above 

We will create a series of free print workshops exploring the different methods of printmaking e.g. Gelli plate, Collagraphs, dry point etching and tetra pak printing.  Using nature and our local community as the theme for the workshops we will explore print making using materials that we would normally discard, and we will look at how art and creativity can look at the natural environment and reuse and recycle to protect it.    There are lots of transferable skills occurring in the workshops and they can be linked to other aspects of daily life without even realising it; communication, understanding, environmental, relaxation, creativity.  The printing will be for all ages and all abilities giving confidence and creative skills.

We are also hoping to engage not only the younger age range but work with older youngsters in encouraging them and their creativity as well as encouraging them to volunteer support during some of the sessions. Each participant will leave the workshop with a sense of achievement and a piece of artwork with which they can engage with others.  Finished pieces may also be exhibited on the gallery wall of the Print Studio.

Quotes from parents and young people

“It was fabulous to see them so excited about the process of producing Art.  Thank you for allowing the kids to use and work with the specialist equipment and for the accessibility of the classes for All to ensure opportunities for everyone” a parent

“it was amazing to use the special arts equipment and a printing machine and see how it worked.  I really want to go back"  a young person

““It was very fun as it was something I had never done before at school or any other art class. I would love to go back again”  a young person

“A really unique art class giving the kids a chance to experience different ways of printing and using their creativity”  a parent

• Caligo Safe Wash inks   £200
• Printing paper   £80
• Table top etching press    £323
• Frames to exhibit work    £100
• Acrylic paints for printing     £60
• Tote Bags 50     £70  

Kilwinning Academy Parent Council is a very active and supportive group of parents who work together to ensure young poeple are able to access the range of educational and wellbeing opportunities provided by the school or other services.

As a group we meet once a month with the Head Teacher to find ways to address any issues raised by parents but also to promote the fantastic progress and achievements many young people have made.

Part of our focus is on finding ways to support learning and teaching which will support raising attainment and an outcome, but more recenlty we are very aware of the growing concerns parents have over the Mental Health and Wellbeing of pupils at the school and in the community.  As a group we have apporached the school to find ways to support groups of young people who may be struggling with their mental health and wellbeing resulting in those been identified as struggling to reach their potential.    One distinct group we wish to help on this occasion is the growing concerns over young male pupils who are struggling to engage in their learning and are unwilling to accept the usual supports offered by the school.

As parents we agree that one of the best ways to engage young males is through providing high quality sport and fitness activities delivered by specialists out with the school environment.  So as a group we have identified a Kilwinning company, "BetterU Fitness" who have a number of highly trained professionals with a range of experience of supporting young people.  Our application for funding would cover the costs and activities provided by the BetterU Fitness staff.  The plan would be for a targeted group of young male pupils, identified by the school, to participate in an eight-week programme delivered during school time at the BetterU Fitness unit at the Nethermains Industrustlal Estate.

Discussion with the school has resulted a shared understanding that the intended benefits of this project to those involved would out way any time lost to lessons due to concerns over their engagement in school.  Following this discussion, the school is very keen to monitor the scucess of this project and will commit to funding another group if this project provides to be a success.

BetterU Provision provide for the £997.88 bid

• Fully qualified coach for session delivery 2 sessions per week for up to 8 weeks
• Facilties and all required equipment
• Planning and delivery of sessions in line with age and stage of development
• Focus on supporting participant's fitness and mental health and wellbeing
• Personal clothing item for each participant

Outcome

It is hoped that by the end of the 8-week programme the participants will be fitter, be more willing to discuss the support required to reach their full potential at school and feel more positive about their own mental health and wellbeing.

The Ardrossan youth association are looking to apply for funding for outdoor equipment for the youth centre to help young people experience outdoor group activities such as badminton, racket ball, soft archery, camping and more.

Health and exercise along with being outdoors will help young people with team building skills, self-esteem and confidence. It will encourage young people to live a healthier lifestyle .This will improve their health and wellbeing with being outdoors more, which is known to improve general fitness and health along with improving their mental health. The AYA are looking to buy some outdoor equipment for the youth centre, such as badminton nets and rackets, shuttle cocks, rackets for rounder’s, balls and some tents, waterproofs to also help give young people the chance to take part in camping and other outdoor activities and encourage them to take part in the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme.

4 X 3 person tents £680

badminton set £48.99

softball set £30.99

Tennis set £39.99

8 X rucksacks £120

Our children at Morrpark are currently learning the skills to fix broken bikes. These new skills will be offered to anyone in the community who has a bike that needs fixing. Our children are responsible citizens and understand the improtance of a wellbalanced lifestyle.  Following on from the successful cooking classes that promoted healthy eating for our families, this year getting people to exercise in a way that supports the envrionment is the main focus.

The children at Moorpark are keen to help others in the school get on the road and travel to school by bike.  They also want to be able to offer this service to everyone in the community to get Kilbirnie moving! To do this they need storage for the bikes while they are being fixed and the tools to fix as many bikes as possible in a safe way.

The children will operate from a workshop set up in the school grounds and invite anyone in the community to come along with their broken bikes and have them fixed for free.  By offering this facility the children are promoting better mental and physical health as well as contributing to a cleaner local environment when people switch from driving a car to riding a bike. This free service now makes exercise accessible for those faced with costly repairs they couldn't previously afford.

The children want to see less cars at the school gates and more children riding their bikes to school, this will also make the school safer for our children.

They need a work space to fix and store the bikes and a variety of tools to complete the work, the following materials need to be purchased...

£400 for a metal shed and security padlock so that the bikes and tools can be stored.

£100 for storage boxes and tool boxes to store tools and equipment

 £450 for tools to fix the bikes

£50 for safety equipment such as safety glasses, overalls, gloves so the children are safe when fixing the bikes.

The money would be used to put on a Theatre Show in March 2024 to assist with costumes, props and scenery.

The young people gain experience with performing and working together which builds their mental and physical wellbeing, communication and teamwork skills and builds confidence and trust. Most importantly they mix all of these skills with having fun and growing together. The Showtime Youth Theatre assists young people to express themselves; gain confidence with public activities and ensures that nursery, primary and secondary school young people interact and the culmination of learning songs, dances and acting skills creates a fantastic performance.

The young people are working very hard every week to learn their new dances/routines and whilst we have auditions for the lead parts, all young people have an active and inclusive part to play whether it is in acting, dancing, singing or drama. This builds not only confidence but also maintains positive mental and physical wellbeing and entertains the people of Ayrshire whilst being a fun activity.  One main aim is the development of our young people and to watch them grow throughout the years but we also wish for our local community in Ayrshire to thrive and we therefore try to source and support our local businesses as much as we can.

The Showtime Youth Theatre is an integral part of Irvine life as the young people participate in Marymass, put on shows at Fullarton Connexions, for the Ayrshire Hospice and sing Christmas Carols within local Supermarkets. The young people also learn the value of team work, kindness, community spirit and about the Irvine locality when they bag pack and fundraise in local shops and supermarkets.

Through participating in a show and working on their group activities and then as a whole team together, the young people gain many skills from teamwork to trust to understanding others and working at different paces to reach their end goal, showing how hard work and participation gives achievement and puts on a fantastic show which is fun and benefits them.

The main benefactors of the funding are the young people but it is also the Instructors and friends and family who get to enjoy all the hard work when they see the performances and smiles on the faces.

Costumes - ready made outfits and dance costumes –14 x £15 - £210;  45 x £9 - £405; 20 x £10 - £200;  = £815.00

Material, thread/ribbon/accessories - 4 x £4 - £16; 4 x £5 - £20 (materials); £50 (accessories and threads) = £86.00

Props – £24.00

Scenery - hire of some ready made scene landscapes and paint/brushes for handmade elements - £75.00