Wokingham

It was fun in the mud this October when some 20 young people from Bulmershe Youth Centre’s Explorers Club, of whom 18 have additional needs, went on a camping expedition to Cheddar Gorge to complete their Duke of Edinburgh’s Bronze Award.

Experiencing possibly the worst possible weather for a camping trip, including a magnificent thunderstorm, the group took part in activities including long hikes and camp-style cookery with enthusiasm and determination, in spite of being soggy!

“Trying to sleep in a flooded tent, with huge claps of thunder overhead, proved to be quite a challenge for all,” said group leader Kay Nicker. “But the Explorers were brilliant. Even on the walk when we were all very wet, they just kept asking “’what next?’”

Young people with special needs sometimes lack opportunities to prove themselves and to interact with their peers. The Explorers Club brings young people with special needs together with other teenagers in the Wokingham district, building their self esteem and self reliance with challenging activities, and offering them opportunities to gain mainstream accreditations such as the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.

The Explorers Club, made up of 20 young people with special needs and five mainstream young people, meets every Thursday evening in a joint initiative between Wokingham District Council’s Bulmershe Youth Centre, Addington Special School, Bridges Resource Centre and Woodley Activity Group, a voluntary group staffed by youth workers, police representatives and teachers, who take groups of young people away for survival camps and team building activities.

Parents of Explorers have commented that their children have gained enormous confidence since joining the group. Liz Meek, headteacher at Addington Special School where many Explorers are pupils, said: “They are positively bursting with pride and I know their skills and self esteem have been enhanced by their experiences.”

Gaining mainstream accreditations such as Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards and Youth Achievement Awards gives the Wokingham young Explorers with special needs some recognisable common ground with their peers. And those Explorers with no special needs are also benefiting from the club’s activities, gaining skills as mentors and friends. Two of these Explorers are enjoying the club so much that they have requested work experience placements at Addington Special School. Emma Brown, a Year 13 pupil at the Bulmershe School who has been taking part in the Explorers’ Club since it began, recently won ‘Volunteer of the Year’ in the district-wide Childcare Awards.

Young people from as far afield as Shiplake and Farnborough have contacted the innovative group hoping to join, and the membership has grown from six young people to 25 within one year.

When the Wokingham Explorers were asked what they learnt on their expedition to Cheddar Gorge, responses included walking long distances, pegging a tent properly, map reading, cooking and teamwork – and also finding out where Cheddar cheese comes from! In spite of the weather, nearly all the Explorers thought that the campsite and the walking was good fun. They will all be receiving their Duke of Edinburgh’s Award certificates in a special ceremony on November 25 at Bulmershe Leisure Centre, Woodley.

“The Explorers Club is innovative because it combines the various specialist skills of youth workers, special needs teachers, activity group leaders and young people themselves,” said executive member for children’s services Cllr Frank Browne. “And the group’s achievements in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme prove how valuable this partnership is. I would like to congratulate all the explorers on completing their expedition, and I do hope that even more young people will be able to join the club in the future.”

Wokingham District Council