At the Queen Elizabeth II Silver

Between 2000 and 2008 QE2 Activity Centre held a series of Summer Scheme aimed at up to a dozen 16-19 year olds with special needs. Its purpose is to help young people moving from school to college, through college or into work; to develop independence and to move away from thinking of themselves as children, to seeing themselves as adults.

There are three strands l Independent living l Adventure activities l Community project

l We have an underlying assumption: from each according to his ability; to each according to his need (Louis Blanc, 1840) so everyone does their share, everybody gets as much help as they need to do it.

l Using basic domestic activities: planning menus, shopping, cooking, washing up, etc, decisions are made by the group with the process of decision making considered as important as the conclusion reached

l Often young people have not needed to do things for themselves or had the opportunity to do things for themselves. This is all about opportunity. Very often we find that people are doing something for the first time, even simple everyday things like making a cup of tea or handling money at the supermarket checkout.

l During the course a range of activities take place: canoeing, climbing, archery, ropes course, stream walk, night hikes, problem solving, etc.

l A key component of Transitions Summer Scheme has always been the “community project”, an opportunity for our students to do something for others for which they will get no direct benefit.

l This has included gardening and environmental projects, putting on performances at an old people’s home and Mencap centre. One project, in the year following the boxing day Tsunami, our students built a fishing boat which was sent by Hercules to Sri Lanka to replace one of the many thousands destroyed by the flooding.

SUNDAY: Arrived, met, talked, unpacked, settled in . . . birthday tea for Debbie . . . walk in the woods . . . drowned rats! . . . bed

MONDAY: problem solving, working as a team, rescuing teddy, Flintstone car, skis

after lunch we sat down to listen to Jason Ringenburg play his music and some of our friends came to watch as well and the music was fantastic (Natalie)

we put tents up, had dinner and we cooked spaghetti bolognese and Jason had it with us, and went to Portsmouth (Jason played a Townes Van Zandt song so Phil was happy) and some of us went to the pub and the rest went to the arcade and we came back to the centre. The girls all slept in tents!

TUESDAY: said goodbye to Jason (who went off to play a show in London before going back to Nashville, Tennessee), then we went fruit picking, we picked strawberries, raspberries, broad beans, green beans and peas. Plus we bought some potatoes. We lost the potatoes.

After lunch we did the ropes course, tunnels and zipwire before walking down to the Hamble River, went on the motorboat to Botley with Kerry. Everybody had a go at driving and nobody crashed.

For tea we had Cottage Pie (we had to buy more potatoes), with the peas and green beans that we picked at Pickwell Farm. It tasted great! Natalie and Rach wrote the diary and we did games in the sports hall.

WEDNESDAY: What did we do today? “Art Attack”. We painted pictures on canvas with acrylic paints. Natalie painted Tim, Abi and Dan; Rachel painted problem solving activities; Seamus painted a cabin and table with plates of Spag Bol!

We spent all afternoon on, or in the water, canoeing, raft building and stream walking. It was very wet and the best fun ever.

THURSDAY: Breakfast, meeting, horse riding, lunch, birdbox making, T shirt painting, climbing, minibus to Hayling Island, Fish & chips, Fairground rides (thanks Jason!), minibus home again. Sleep

FRIDAY: Last day of week 1. Some people taking a bit longer than usual to get up in the morning . . . But that’s OK, we’ve planned it so that no-one gets any breakfast till the cabins are all cleared up! egg & bacon & sausages & mushrooms & toast & beans & spaghetti hoops & all, zipwire, archery.

And finally . . . we found the potatoes that had been lost since Tuesday (in the lifejacket room!)

One of the key aspects of the Centre’s summer schemes has always been the “community project”. Each day during the second week participants come in for the day and carry out a project that will benefit others. In the past this has included building a summerhouse, putting on performances and, best of all, building a boat to be sent to Sri Lanka. Continuing our green theme this year the project involved carrying out conservation work in the Manor Farm Country Park.

The QE2 2008 Transitions Summer Scheme Green Team, in partnership with Groundworks Solent and HCC Ranger Duncan, erected approximately 100 miles (sorry, that should read “nearly 300 metres”) of fencing in Rifle Range Field near Manor Farm at Botley. If that wasn’t enough they then went on to plant a small copse within Manor Farm. It was a great effort by everyone involved. Thanks to one and all who took part: Rachel, Elena, Seamus, Natalie, Mathew, Abi, Becky, Dan, Steve, Tim, Dave, Keith, Ian, Tim, Tim, Debbie, Milly, Sophie, Leanne, Sheila and Duncan.

Scythe, weed whacker, loppers, hole digger, drivel (aka thumper or kadonka), tape measure, marker pen, measuring stick, spirit level (aka bubble stick), wire strainer, hammers, waterproofs, gloves, stout shoes or boots,

Ø Use the drivel to bang the posts into the ground Don’t forget to wear a hard hat when Kadonking!

Ø Use the spirit level to check the post is straight and the measuring stick to see how far in it should go (about as high as Elena)

Ø When all the posts are in attach the barbed wire to the first straining post.

In July 2007 we ran Project Adventure - a week of camping, canoeing and fishing in the Solent - James, Billy, Adam, Elena, Katy, Richard, Luke and James had a fantastic time; thanks to Kerry for putting it all together and his team of volunteers, Zoë, Millie and Debbie.

A great fortnight for the participants, volunteers and staff. Thanks to all concerned, including Hightown Fire Station and Hampshire Search and Rescue who came along to help us learn about keeping safe; Rodbard House and Southampton Mencap who allowed us to put on our show .

Dear Phil and all

I would just like to thank you all for the wonderful time you gave my son on the summer scheme. The benefits that have come to fruition since he has completed the course have been dramatic to say the least. He has become more outgoing and willing to try new experiences, his toleration to dogs has improved 100% as before the course he was terrified of them and because of this he has now started accompanying me on long walks through the fields and woods which we both really enjoy and I know that he finds really therapeutic.

Once again thank you all for your hard work, dedication and devotion to these sometimes very difficult young people.

our kindest regards and gratitude to you all