I have just had a busy weekend. On Saturday I was presenting and facilitating on the training Academy at Hallowtree. It was super to meet up with new Leaders and to hear about all the good things they are doing in their sections.
It was great also to catch up with old friends. That’s the great bonus of getting all your training done over a weekend.
On Sunday it was on to Leiston for the SAS Rededication Service. This was a really lovely afternoon in a beautiful church. Thank you Leiston SAS for organising the event this year. The coffee and walnut cake was scrummy.
Last week I was invited to Minsmere Nature Reserve with representatives of other youth-based organisations and Suffolk County Council. The objective was to advise us of what the RSPB at Minsmere can offer to young people and to develop partnerships with us. We were given a brief tour of the site, which covers over 2,000 acres along the coastline.
Have any of you been there? Well, this is the first time that I had visited the reserve. How fantastic it is! A mixture of woodland and wetland with trails set up throughout. I saw deer, but the surprise was that they are totally unfazed by our presence. There is an area for ‘den building’. Young people used their imagination and some dead wood to fashion birds, animals and insects, which are then dotted around the site. You can camp there for a night, a weekend or a week in a safe but challenging environment. The Discovery Centre has already housed Cubs for a weekend in their open meeting room.
The reserve is seeking volunteers to help maintain and improve their facilities. This applies not only to adults but also to our young people. The RSBP are already running an innovative scheme with local schools, giving young people a chance to work on a yearlong project in all of their departments with the aim of the young people producing a report on their work.
If you would like further information go to Minsmere RSPB Reserve link.
Jenny