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Y o u t h F a c i l i t y
The YOUTH FACILITY is run on different levels at different times of the year. During term time, when most of the children go to school, approximately 6-12 non-school going children between the ages of 7-15 attend. As we are not a registered school we are not officially allowed to teach children formally, but assist them in basic literacy training and general skills development.
We start the day with breakfast and then normally do something physical like gardening, stilt-walking, play a ball game. As some of these children are illiterate and have severe learning difficulties, we focus on crafts, drawing and practical skills, but due to a lack of experienced and trained staff, this facility needs much attention to develop the literacy aspect more.
The youth activities take another dimension in the school holidays when attendance figures rise and the bulk of the youth from the settlement attends daily (25-30 children). During this time we do crafts, beadwork, art, dancing, drumming and many other exciting activities most of these children are deprived of in our schools.
The YOUTH FACILITY provides a platform for the youth to explore themselves and develop creative skills and creates a safe and loving environment for those who attend.
We are fortunate to have had many volunteers visiting our project and lending a hand with these activities, as this facility is an inspiration for all the children and is no doubt an essential factor that keeps them off the street, out of mischief and away from drugs. We are in fact very proud of all our children as they show very little anti-social behaviour and within the Bonnievale community this fact is slowly being recognised, as our youth have appeared in public on several occasions for their drumming performances and are growing in popularity.
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