Activities in Beith

Beith trust had lots of special wee helpers here last night from the cubs earning their environmental badge. The session began with a quiz which involved the cubs running to the area which represented different answers to a question about our planet.  The kids were asked things like ‘is the earth getting hotter or colder’ and what contributes more to global warming, walking to the shops or watching TV’. Impressively many of the kids got every answer right, though it was funny to watch some kids however between both sides because they didn’t want to commit to an answer.

Next, the cubs got into their high vis vests and were split into teams to do a litter pick … and I don’t think I have ever seen anyone as excited about litter before he he. Both teams did a great job … but that wasn’t the challenge over! … Next we had a challenge between 3 teams to see who could separate rubbish into piles ready to go into the correct bins, choosing from normal bin, recycling bin and brown bin … a challenge which caused lots of great discussion and great answers!

To meet another criterion for the badge the cubs helped us with our garden by taking on a big weeding challenge! This involved differentiating between plants and weeds and disposing of weeds in our compost area … and also involved a lot of getting mucky!

We ended by splitting the cubs into 3 separate teams and we held our eco election where the 3 groups created policies and took to the stage to present their ideas on how to make the planet a better place. The electorate (the cub leaders). Group 1 were voted for in an overwhelming majority due to their policies like reducing CO2 emissions through driving less, putting more solar panels in buildings and developing systems to prevent littering. I hope the newly elected ‘planet protectors’ can push these policies through and make the change we are all hoping for!

I had the great honor of speaking to the three musketeers of construction, Ross, Stuart and Sean who are working as facility assistants for Beith Community Development Trust. I wanted to learn a bit about the guys and see how they have enjoyed their experience here. Ross aged 17 has been working here for a year, Stuart aged 20 has recently gained employment after all the hard work he did here volunteering for the Prince’s Trust and 15 year old Sean who just started his first day of volunteering today.

Ross, Stuart and Sean have been tasked with building a sheltered hut on the incline at the back of grounds for children to hide from the bad weather during the rain and to be enjoyed by all visitors of the Trust. The hut is coming along fantastically, the main structure is already built, been painted, and they have already started decorating the inside of the hut. I asked Stuart and Ross what they were getting out of this activity and if they had learned any new skills. Ross and Stuart agreed that one of the best aspects of their role was the fact that they get to work outside in the fresh air. Stuart told me “I never knew any of these skills before I started here” referring to the building and carpentry skills he has acquired while here, he told me that they will be great for his future career and will “help get a foot in the door of employment”. Ross agreed that he has learned a lot of useful skills and he gets a great sense of achievement from his works and loves to build things.

Ross and Stuart have met lots of new people from the local community since they started here and said it has been a very positive experience, they said that they feel more like a part a of the community since they started working here. It’s Sean’s first day and he’s still learning the ropes but he’s optimistic for the future and has already learned everyone’s name!

These guys are great addition to the Beith Trust team and brighten everyone’s day with their cheery demeanor and affinity to tea making!

Recently we were lucky enough to spend the afternoon with some mums and toddlers in our local community centre discussing different ways to reduce food waste. Why do we care so much about this? As these wonderful mums will tell you, it is beneficial to shop smart and store our food in smart ways because it saves time, money … and the planet. Win win!

So what can you do at home?

1. You can buy seasonal food which reduces the air miles travelled from farm to plate
2. You can select packaging that helps keep your food fresher for longer
3. You can calculate your perfect portions to prevent making too much (this can be done at www.lovefoodhatewaste.com )
4. Know your supermarket labels, remember food CAN be eaten past the best before date
5. Store food appropriately and make use of the fridge and freezer to keep food fresher for longer

One of the best bits about the afternoon was hearing the mums come up with some delicious and creative meals from the list of ‘leftovers’ we gave them such as pizzas, stews, risottos, curry and more! We were really inspired by some of the ideas everyone came up with and it was so nice to see so many people actively engaged in this topic. Who wouldn’t want to save up to £700 per year whilst creating a greener world … and making more time to spend with each other rather than in the kitchen!

At Soup Group we have given the kids have been given a brilliant opportunity to put in an hour a week for a 6 week course called the Play Maker Award. This gives them the opportunity to develop their social skills and leadership qualities while working towards a Sports Leader Qualification which they can use in the future. Each week they take part in activities that will help them realize what skills they need to be an effective leader, learn to plan activities, reflect and analyze which activities are best for learning specific skills. At the end of the 6 week course each participant must create an activity or game, present it to a group of their peers and lead the group during the game/activity. Recently long time Soup Group goers Serena and Kaleb finished their 6 week course and achieved the Play Maker Award, both Kaleb and Serena came up with excellent activities which all the other kids at soup group loved!

Kaleb’s game focused more on communication, improving motor skills and developing commonality with the rest of the group. The game involved passing a football around the group contingent on telling the rest of the group their likes and dislikes, everyone had a great time and it was a great bonding experience for the group.

Serena created a game based around developing physical skills such as balance and co-ordination, following instructions and teamwork. It involved a relay race based game where two teams would have to run a relay race but each point where the baton was to passed on there was station where various activities had to be completed before continuing with the race.

Each child displayed great organizational, communication and leadership skills, we are very confident that the skills developed during the achievement of this award will be put to excellent use by these bright young people!