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Solent Youth Action helps run the Portsmouth Games
Saturday 24th August saw the first annual Portsmouth Games as part of the Open Weekend to mark two years until the opening of London 2012 Olympics.
Solent Youth Action coordinated Respect Programme and Warings volunteers, amongst others to help run the Portsmouth Games.
The multi-sports competition for secondary school age children utilised facilities at the Mountbatten Centre in Tipner providing activities including cycling, athletics, cage cricket, table tennis, basketball and volleyball.
Over one hundred children from youth clubs and inclusion projects across the city, including the Respect Programme took part with the support of numerous staff and plenty of volunteers through Solent Youth Action.
SYA at the Havant and District Holiday Venture
On Thursday 5th August, Solent Youth Action volunteers from the Respect Programme went along for the second year in a row to support the Havant and District Holiday Venture; a play scheme for disabled children.
The playscheme runs for three weeks throughout the summer holiday every year, providing a range of activities for children with physical and learning difficulties with varying support needs.
Volunteers play in the rain at National Playday!
With the promise of a sunny day, four Solent Youth Action volunteers from across Hampshire donned their flip flops and headed over to Staunton Country Park in Havant for the national Playday.
Playday is the annual celebration of children's right to play.
On Playday thousands of children, young people and communities get out and play at over 860 locally organised events across the UK.
Havant put on a great Playday and with thousands of visitors piling into the park, our volunteers were quickly called in for car parking duties, litter picking and visitor counting.
They did a great job, and even when the torrential downpours began they stayed put in the car park to make sure the remaining cars could get into the event.
Outdoor activities for the summer
Children from both Buddies groups got to enjoy a trip outside for a teddy bears picnic during the third week in June. The weather could not have been better and both groups enjoyed a game of rounders, parachute games and a special trip to the park to play on the swings.
Children who attend the Tuesday club were given some extra help from the Southampton Take Action Volunteers who were fantastic at organising and running the activities on the day.
Children in Southampton were taken to the common for their picnic and along with a regular team of volunteers, really enjoyed getting outside in the sunshine and running around in the park.
Healthy Towns Healthy Picnic
On Monday 31st May, Solent Youth Action volunteers from the Respect Programme in Portsmouth helped out at the Healthy Towns Healthy Picnic on Southsea Common.
The Picnic was organised to invite families to come along and find out about healthy living whilst promoting sport, physical activities and undertaking a good diet.
There were loads of stalls promoting the healthy themes of the event and the volunteers were involved in encouraging people to join in the fun and games.
Amber, Natalie and Louis dressed up as pieces of fruit and veg and competed in an obstacle race to encourage people to enter a competition to win a free place in the Great South Run.
Cookies for Weston Park School
On Thursday 28th January, five volunteers from Weston's Community Action Team helped the children at Weston Park Infant School's after school club make Oat Cookies.
Solent Youth Action runs activities like this throughout the year. If this sounds like something you'd like to be involved with next time, please get in touch!
Operation Smile totals for SYA
V Hampshire, V Portsmouth, V Project, Take Action, The Hilt and Buddies volunteers have been working hard throughout December to design and make as many t-shirts for Operation Smile as they can before Christmas.
After many hours of drawing, cutting and tying, we are proud to say that our volunteers made an amazing 358 t-shirts. So a big well done to everyone that came along to the sessions across the county.
A special mention goes to the Take Action volunteers that made a whopping fifty-five t-shirts, beating all the other projects to be the winner of the most t-shirts made.
Chris Huhne MP helps design T-shirts for Operation Smile
As part of the Operation Smile campaign that Solent Youth Action are taking part in, officers from the V team in Hampshire held their very own t-shirt making session at the head office.
Twelve volunteers from as far as Gosport and Brockenhurst gave up their Friday afternoon and made their way to Eastleigh to help design and make t-shirts for the charity appeal.
Some amazing gowns were made by the fantastic young volunteers, including fabric teddy bears, balloons and sequined flowers.
The high point of the session for volunteers and staff alike was a visit from Eastleigh MP and Shadow Secretary of State for the Home Department Chris Huhne, who came to see what we had achieved and to have a go at designing his own gown.
After getting some inspiration from the other t-shirts that were displayed around the room, Chris drew a large yellow face complete with a big cheery smile.
Chris was extremely impressed with the efforts of the young people, and reiterated the importance of volunteering to make a difference and to help others.
Getting together in Portsmouth for Operation Smile
On Wednesday 9th December, Solent Youth Action volunteers from the Respect Programme in Portsmouth met at for a volunteer drop-in at Eastney Community Centre.
The session had many aims: from signing up new young people to the Programme to recruiting for upcoming taster-days, short–term and part-time opportunities.
Within the drop-in we had a workstation for volunteers to work on converting t-shirts into hospital gowns for children benefitting from Operation Smiles work which proved very popular, although not as popular as the free food!
Pumpkin decorating
Volunteers from Chamberlayne College for the Arts decorated pumpkins, that they had grown on Solent Youth Action's allotment.
They were decorated in alternative ways to demonstrate to younger children that you do not always have to carve them.
These were then donated to a play scheme for their half term sessions.
FoneAid campaign
Do you have an old or unused mobile phone lying around?
We are taking part in the FoneAid mobile recycling campaign and will take any mobile phone, in any condition, off your hands. By donating your phones, FoneAid will give us money towards our charity
