Case Study

Blyth Crew

Blyth Crew

A group of young people from Blyth put all of their planning, organisation and leadership skills to the test to plan an event to celebrate their completion of a range of projects together.

Blyth Crew came together two years ago through their involvement with Choysez, which provides great opportunities for young people to learn in environments that suited their needs, to raise their aspirations and to give them confidence to make their own positive choices in life.

Keyfund has been used effectively to engage the young people to learn and participate in fun and creative ways. In their Keyfund Stage 1 and 2 projects, the group performed social activities and a graffiti workshop. For their Stage 3 project, they chose to organise an event to celebrate the group’s time at Choysez and the successful completion of Level 2 of their ASDAN CoPE Award.

The group went on a residential to Kielder. Whilst there, they renovated their cottage to enable them, and subsequent groups, to enjoy its comfort and charms. Everyone was amazed by what they did to the cottage! They painted two bedrooms, kitchen and the sitting room, collected and chopped wood for campfires and the indoor fire, cut the grass and weeded the garden surrounding the cottage – all within a few days!

All the young people really enjoyed being away together and taking responsibility on this project, learning many practical skills through the renovation project. They also gained skills through planning and organising the residential: planning menus, working on various shopping lists and budgeting.

To celebrate their awards, they arranged great group activities. They went on hikes around Kielder forest, swimming at Leaplish and visited the Bird of Prey Centre. The group also hosted a day visit for Choysez’s Trustees and local police. They showed them the work they had done at the cottage and took them to see various art sculptures such as Janus Chairs, Silver’s Head and the Maze. This has resulted in the Police Officers offering to work with Choysez in the future, taking a group of young people to a mountain biking residential at Kielder.

Facilitators and staff were delighted to see them working together, settling disagreements and agreeing compromises with each other, developing their individual and collective skills in doing so. Each team member has now learned to think more of others and show more consideration. They learned to be more independent through preparing their own meals, cleaning up after themselves throughout the stay.

The young people in the group were surprised to see their achievements: they have developed some skills even without realising!

The residential was a really positive end to Blyth Crew’s time together and their project will be an inspiration to other young people. The work they undertook at the cottage will also benefit many groups in the future.

The young people have now left Choysez and are studying at various colleges:

- Three young people are at Kirkley College doing an agricultural course
- One participant has gone to Tynemet College to study Childcare
- Four have gone to Ashington College to study: Plastering; Child Care; Hair and Beauty; and Sport
- One has gone on to undertake an apprenticeship.