Summer activities for children are so important for their physical and mental health. It can also be an opportunity to learn new skills and form new friendships.
The East End Community Foundation (EECF) has so far invested around £300,000 for projects providing summer activities.
One of the summer projects is taking place at the Olympic Park, where hundreds of young people are entering a world of creativity, with hands-on workshops ranging from dance and fashion design to documentary filmmaking and music production.
Continuing the legacy
The sessions are part of the East Summer School at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Now in its ninth year, this free initiative provides local youth with career insights and a direct connection with the creative industries.
Partners offering their expertise included BBC Music Studios, Sadler’s Wells East, UAL’s London College of Fashion, UCL, V&A East and ABBA Voyage.
EECF’s Chief Executive, Tracey Betts said “EECF is delighted to support this initiative for a second year, empowering the next generation of local talent. Our £50,000 contribution towards the East Summer School forms part of our wider investment in holiday provision across Tower Hamlets, Hackney and Newham,”
“The programme enables young people to have to access world-class creative skills, free of charge. We cannot wait to see these young creatives thrive as they dive into inspiring workshops covering fashion, film, and urban design to fine art and dance.”
EECF funds and supports numerous frontline charities delivering summer holiday activities, youth camps, and community cohesion projects across east London.
Other activities included designing flood-resilient neighbourhood maps at UCL, dance classes at Sadlers Wells East, exploring the history of fashion at UAL’s London College of Fashion, creating content for BBC’s Asian Network, curating artistic displays at V&A East Museum & Storehouse, and going backstage at ABBA Voyage to learn about lighting, audio and production.
Unique experiences
Providing opportunities for lasting economic and social benefits for local communities is essential says Shazia Hussain, CEO at London Legacy Development Corporation. “We continue to leverage our assets and partnerships to open up more opportunities within the creative industries. Skills for the future are developing at pace so we want to make sure children and young people from east London don’t miss out, and that Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park institutions can help prepare them for the jobs of tomorrow.”
Another project making a huge difference to youngsters is the Shadwell Community Project. They will deliver 26 sessions over the summer holidays. Activities will include arts and crafts, games, sports, bushcraft, free play, cooking on an open fire, survival skills and workshops to redesign the adventure playground’s structures.
There were also weekly gardening sessions, and the fresh produce from this will be used for daily lunches. In total, 786 freshly cooked healthy meals are expected to be served to children across 26 sessions.
The workshops will make a huge difference to isolated teens. One youngster said last year she spent the entire summer holiday at home, with little interaction and no physical activity. She became very lonely, then struggled at school and has low confidence. Thanks to the summer activities, the youngster has now made new friends, and her parents reported she has better communication skills, a happier mood, increased confidence and spends less time onscreen time.
Emma Mulhern, Manager, Shadwell Community Project said: “Thank you for funding our summer scheme. It makes a huge difference to the children of Shadwell and makes the summer holidays safer and more viable for parents who often dread this difficult time if you are struggling for money and cannot afford trips or holidays for the children.”
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