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Welcome to the Winter Edition

Congratulations and thanks to Jayne from Aberdeen and Nathan and Amber from Peterhead who all won prizes after returning GKAC Feedback forms.

We’ve designed new feedback forms. You will get a form from your tutor or class teacher. If you’re not currently attending an activity, you’ll get your form with this newsletter. All forms returned by 18th February 2011 will be entered into a prize draw.

Winter 2010/11 newsletter no. 23

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GKaC is co-ordinated by NHS Grampian in partnership with local community networks.Denburn Health Centre Rosemount Viaduct Aberdeen AB25 1QBtel: Heather 01224 555224 email: heather.wilson2@nhs.nettel: Grace 01224 555293email: grace.hanvey2@nhs.net www.nhsgrampian.org/gkac

New Funding from Children in Need

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Volunteers Wanted

Winter 2010/11 newsletter no. 23

Welcome to our new style GKAC Winter 2011 newsletter. We hope you have had a wonderful Christmas and send our very best wishes too you for a happy, healthy and prosperous 2011.

Last summer, at a GKAC staff and volunteer meeting, it was agreed that young people involved with Give Kids a Chance should be encouraged to be more involved in writing stories and articles for the newsletter. We hope you enjoy

this new style and will be inspired to send in your own story for the next newsletter. Tell us about your thoughts and experiences. We do not need to print photographs and if you would rather not be identified that’s not a problem either.

Send in any stories, photographs, poems or illustrations for the next newsletter to heather.wilson2@nhs.net or grace.hanvey2@nhs.net

Competition news

When it was first suggested that young people and their tutors might like to submit stories to the newsletter, Dave White, GKAC Drum Tutor for the Moray area was quick to reply with the following story about his involvement with Matthew.

“It’s all about the rhythm of life” – by Dave White

When I was introduced to my pupil Matthew I found that both pupil and tutor had a lot in common. When I was younger I had visual dyslexia which wasn’t diagnosed at the time and I was considered lazy. Not true, my talent came out in music, art and sport and that’s where my enthusiasm remains to this day. Now, thank goodness attitudes have changed. With the help of organisations such as GKAC, young people are receiving opportunities to help them realise their potential or guide them towards an activity that gets the creative juices flowing.

Matthew was experiencing the same difficulties as I had, so who better to teach a dyslexic than someone who, in his youth went through a similar experience. I felt I understood his fears, anxieties and doubts and hoped that through the language of drums I could pave the way towards building his confidence, social skills and most importantly his sense of humour and thereby learn to embrace the issues, face up to them and move on with life’s many challenges.

Over the two years I have known Matthew it’s important to note that he was always keen and willing to have a go. Having a go! That’s so important because you would think that holding a drum stick and hitting a drum is easy – it is, but

Moray activitiesonly if you are prepared to work at it. I always say “You are only as good as your practice.” Matthew perseveres and fights his demons but always gets there in the end and I believe that’s what counts, if you’ll excuse the pun. Nothing is unachievable if you have the passion to better yourself.

If I’m honest Matthew has come along leaps and bounds. Of course there are small issues that need ironing out during the learning process but the goal is well within his reach now. He is capable of being as good as he wishes to be. But, now the dyslexic thing isn’t spoken about probably because a drummer only needs to count to four…joke, sorry.

Good days bad days, we all have them. But in Matthew’s case I believe they are all good when the door is closed in his shed and he can slip into a world of musical rhythm and enjoy the moment. He has a great sense of timing and most of the time wants to do the tasks laid out for him. Now, his friends have seen that skill and asked him to play in a local band. I’m delighted for him because now the world is his oyster. “Time to Show off Matthew, enjoy the moment - not only playing the drums but the stage, the lights, your friends’ admiration and those youngsters in the audience watching and wishing they could play the drums like you, that you could impress enough for them to want to follow your lead. You’re a star Matthew – you just don’t know it yet!”

Dave White Drum Tuition

“It’s never too early to learn and never too late to wish you had”.

We’ve been awarded £7,798 from Children in Need! We received our award in September to fund activities in Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and Moray. The Hot Spot Saturday morning club in Aberdeenshire will be part funded by this donation and young people in Aberdeen will be able to attend the Linx Ice Skating Club.Plans have still to be confirmed for Moray based activities. This is a welcome contribution to the project and we look forward to

working with Children in Need to deliver these activity sessions. The young people at the Hot Spot Saturday morning club have already started work on a short DVD to let Children in Need know how much they appreciate this support.

Volunteer drivers are required by Give Kids a Chance to help with transport. The following tasks are examples of the support required:• Mondayeveningmulti-sportsgroupinAberdeen • WednesdayeveningmartialartclassesinElginandAberdeen • OccasionalhelpwithtennistransportinAberdeen–Fridayevening • Saturdaylunchtimehorse-ridingjourneysinAberdeenshire • SundayafternoonswimminggroupinAberdeen

For more information please contact Heather Wilson, on telephone number 01224 555224 or by email on heather.wilson2@nhs.net

United Kingdom Sooyang Do Instructors, Colleen McIver and Danny Collins both entered the city of Aberdeen Baker Hughes 10k on 23rd May 2010 and collected sponsorship for Give Kids a Chance. As Sooyang Do instructors running their own schools in Aberdeen the pair were already fit but each achieved a personal best time at the event. Congratulations to Colleen and Danny for raising £387 for Give Kids a Chance.

In recent years Colleen and instructors at United Kingdom Sooyang Do have been involved in providing taster sessions at schools and martial art display teams have

Aberdeen Sooyang Do Instructors Donations

given demonstrations. This has been done free of charge but they’ve asked that a donation is made to Give Kids a Chance. As a result of this initiative, started in 2006, £2,234 has been donated to the project.

Instructor, Danny Collins (left) and Master Bruce Wood, founder of the United Kingdom Sooyang Do school.

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“Congratulations to Give Kids a Chance Volunteer, Rachel Grant.” One of our volunteers, Rachel Grant – Multi Sports Group Volunteer, recently won a Robbie EwenFellowshipAward through her employer, The Robert Gordon University, for an international fact-finding visit to other Universities. Rachel works for the University’s InfoZone (Student Advice Centre) and visited five Universities in New York and Boston with a similar information centre, including Massachusetts Institute of Technology and New York University. Rachel said, “This was a fantastic opportunity to learn from international best practice, and I am looking forward to introducing what I have learned here. We hope to maintain connections with all Universities visited, and to continue to exchange ideas and development on an ongoing basis.” Rachel has been a volunteer with Give Kids a Chance since 2004 and

Aberdeen activities

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“Music at Rosemount and Kincorth” - by Mike Fisk, GKAC Music Tutor

has been involved with our dance class, supported young people to attend the Linx Ice Skating Arena and in recent years has helped out at the Woodside Multi Sport Club. Rachel is currently supporting the young people at the Multi Sport Club to work towards their Bronze Youth Achievement Awards. Rachel is part of a small team of volunteers working at Woodside. New volunteer Daniel Fyfe has recently joined the team to replace DJ McLeod who has left due to time pressures. We are sorry to loose DJ but welcome Daniel to the group.

Aberdeenshire activitiesAt the end of December GKAC will bid farewell to a young person who has been involved with the project since 2003. Julie-Anne will be 18 shortly and was referred to GKAC as a 10 year old girl in need of help and support to address various difficulties. Julie-Anne was interested in horse riding and was able to start lessons at Annandale EquestrianCentreveryquickly.During the following 7 years Julie-Anne had some challenging experiences but her horse-riding at Annandale was always able to continue and has been a constant source of enjoyment to her. Julie-Anne was very involved in the making of the GKAC DVD last year and was confident to accept a speaking role and gave a short

We now have two regular sessions one at Rosemount Community Centre and one at Kincorth Community Centre. These sessions are aimed at young people of ten to eighteen years. We have been working with the young people at the two centres for just over a year. Starting off with a mix of individual lessons we have helped the youngsters learn to play their instruments of choice including acoustic and electric guitar, bass guitar and drums. This

has helped their confidence and broadened their music experience - two of them are now working on their music standard grades. Of course nothing stands still and as their confidence grows so too does their desire to work with other players. Ok - now we have part of each session dedicated to the young musicians playing together - some individual training and occasional sessions that include instrument care, recording, working out arrangements, song writing and

how to promote their music.Some of this of course is in very early stages but already we are seeing a new level of enthusiasm, co-operation between the musicians and they are not afraid to ask if there is something they don’t understand. Well done to everyone involved, students, Youth Worker Peter and Music Tutor Mike. Great stuff.

Photo shows one of Mike and Peter’s students in Rosemount Community Centre Music Room.

We started a review of GKAC in August 2010. Staff, volunteers, activity providers and professionals who refer young people to us were all asked to tell us what they thought of working with GKAC. The closing date for their feedback was 12 November and their answers are being analysed by the NHS Grampian Clinical Governance Team. The GKAC Advisory Group asked for this review to see if there were things we could develop or do better. We regularly ask you and your parents or guardians for

Review of Give Kids a Chancefeedback so we know what you think of GKAC. There’s a feedback form for your parents or guardians to complete with this newsletter.All forms returned by 18th February 2011 will be entered into free prize draw for a £20 gift voucher. More information on the review and sample questionnaires can be found on the GKAC website www.nhsgrampian.org under “Contact us and Feedback” We will circulate the findings of the review by post and upload a copy to our website as soon as it is available.

Additional language requirements If you have difficulty understanding theEnglishlanguage,thisnewsletter can be made available to you in a language of your choice. This newsletter can also be made available, on request, in other formats, e.g. in large print or on a computer disk. For all requests for copies of this newsletter in another language, or

in an alternative format, please call the Give Kids a Chance team on 01224 555224.

Emergency contact details As always, if any contact details or medical information we hold on file for your child has changed let us know. We’ve attached the information we have about you. Please check, update if necessary and return to us. If you don’t get in touch, we’ll assume all your details are still correct.

Give Kids a Chance music tutor, Mike Fisk, recently completed the Comedy for Confidence course developed by Aberdeen based comedienne and community health worker, Wendy Ivers. This course is designed to lead creative confidence building sessions with individuals and groups. Give Kids a Chance plan to use this programme to work with youngsters on the scheme to help them further develop their confidence. The first sessions will be delivered in early 2011 and will be used as part of a plan to bring the music groups together for a performance. We are grateful to the Fairer Scotland Fund for their support in helping fund this work.

commentary about her experience of GKAC. Her love of horses was clearly evident and provides us with a lasting testimony of the benefits involvement with GKAC has brought her.During the past few years Julie-Anne has won medals at Annandale’s annual prize giving. This picture shows Julie-Anne at the last prize giving, proudly displaying her medals for Special Attendance, in recognition of the time she has been coming to the stable, and a Gold Medal awarded for Horsemanship.Julie-Anne has attended 301 horse riding lessons during her time with GKAC and has an excellent attendance record. When asked to comment on her GKAC experience Julie-Anne said “The Give Kids a Chance scheme has helped me build up my self confidence and helped me learn things about horses. I would like to say thank you for all the help, from all the helpers and the people at Annandale for all that they have done for me. I have enjoyed my years with Give Kids a Chance.” We send Julie-Anne our very best wishes for her future plans.

Rachel with twins, Liam and Adam at the Woodside Multi Sport Club. During this session the twins were leading the group and had devised their own warm up and games.