CYCA Winter Newsletter 2010
www.cycaonline.org Carmarthenshire Youth & Children’s Association
INTRODUCTION
Christmas is such a special time for children and CYCA have a lot to help them celebrate this year! We have secured £83,000 from Children In Need to provide mentoring for Looked After Children, enabling us to give them special time at our Palms centre. Locally we have received a £1000 from both Town and Rural councils to help us with our core provision of play and care. Carmarthenshire County Council are also helping us with remedial works at our Dewi Sant Centre—we are so appreciative of this as the building is used by thousands of children and their families each year Our new Charity CYCA Wales Limited continues to receive new referrals weekly for emotional health and wellbeing services and the team of practitioners has grown to include 3 new mentors and 2 volunteer counsellors. Our 3 nursery settings have been very busy preparing for Christmas concerts which were a joy to watch! Little Seraphs held its annual Christmas grotto on the 11th December. –children came along to see Santa! 2010 has witnessed some worrying times for funding in this recession, which is likely to last through 2011. The support from my trustees and staff has never been so crucial. CYCA and CYCA Wales Limited are determined that we will maintain all our core services often supporting the most vulnerable in our communities. Can I wish you a healthy and happy New Year and thank you for your continued support. Nadolig Llawen a Blwyddyn Newydd Dda!
Tracy Pike, Association Manager www.cycaonline.org
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WINTER 2010
CONTENTS
3—4
NEWSROUND
5—6
FIT 4 FUN
7—8
FAMILIES IN CRISIS
9—10
LITTLE SERAPHS NURSERY & CRÉCHE
11—12 TEDDYBEARS NURSERY 13—14 JELLITOTZ NURSERY 15—16 ALL CHANGE AT CYCA YOUTH 17—18 OUR WISHLIST & UPCOMING EVENTS 19—20 STAFF IN FOCUS
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NEWSROUND
£500 RAISED FOR CHILDREN IN NEED This year, our Children In Need activities were held over a whole week, with all of our children, from Nurseries to After School Clubs to our Fit 4 Fun project taking part in a host of activities such as a Bounceathon, Danceathon, Spotty Art & Crafts and Pudsey Parties. In total we were delighted to raise £500.
DAF PROJECT GOES FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH Our Deprived Area Fund project is coming to the end of it‘s first year and is proving to be a great success. The project aims to help clients gain employment, volunteering opportunities and/or training opportunities by helping them deal with various issues. We currently have 8/10 clients who we work with. However such is the demand for the service a waiting list has also began to form. These clients have various forms of issues including stress, low self-esteem and low self worth; the project staff repeatedly see anxiety and panic attacks. Through the work of dedicated staff, clients are taught to express and explore their issues and are taught emotional tools to help them. Project Officer Caroline Davies has recently done a presentation at Delta Lakes and will be giving another presentation at The Job Centre in the near future.
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WINTER 2010
LOCAL BUSINESSES DONATE CHRISTMAS GIFTS TO CYCA PROJECTS Children involved in both our Families in Crisis and Looked After Children projects were recently treated to some special Christmas presents, which were kindly donated by local businesses in Llanelli. A special thank you is given to Mr Robert Thomas of RT Electrics for arranging the donations. We at CYCA and all the children involved are extremely grateful!
SPECIAL CHRISTMAS CONCERT AT TEDDYBEARS At the beginning of December, Teddybears Nursery held their annual Christmas concert, and once again it proved to be as magical as ever. Parents were treated to a host of Christmas Carols which were beautifully sung by the children who looked wonderful in their Christmas costumes. Well done to Sue and the staff for all the hard work.
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FIT 4 FUN
This winter sees our Fit 4 Fun project complete its second year of providing healthy living fun across Carmarthenshire for children and their families. After a busy Summer, the Fit 4 Fun team set about organising an enthralling Autumn / Winter programme, and due to the excellent reputation the project has developed, schools and communities were eager to get involved. Some schools benefited from the healthy cooking workshops, provided by local celebrity cook, Lisa Fearn. During this period, Lisa has been carrying out Fit 4 Fun workshops in Rhydygors School, Bynea Primary School and Ysgol Brynsierfel; where she has worked with hundreds of children. The children at all three schools have had a great time cooking delicious recipes such as Cawl, Welsh Cakes Fruit Dishes, Healthy Wraps, Potato & Leek Soup and healthy Club Sandwiches Another activity which has taken place in schools is Fit 4 Fun Circus Skills with experienced circus instructor Guy Smith. Guy has run his popular programme in Copperworks Infants School and Brynteg Primary School where children have developed skills such as Juggling, Balancing, Diablo, Chinese ribbons, Poi, Stilt Waking, and basic Acrobatics.
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WINTER 2010
The team has also been busy staging community events. These included hugely successful Family Cooking Workshops, where tens of families took part throughout October half term week. Throughout the week, an array of healthy dishes were created under the guidance of our very own community chef, Rebecca Westcott. All children who take part in the activities were then given a special Fit 4 Fun Pack, full of healthy living information, games, and goodies. Project mascot, Fabian the Fruit Cocktail, proved to be a major hit at Pentip Primary School, as the team staged a special ‗Danceathon‘ for Children in Need. With the help of professional Dance Instructor Stella Hall, all the pupils got in the groove raising a large amount of money. As well as staging all of the events, the Fit 4 Fun team has also been busy creating Fit 4 Fun Online Interactive Games. The games, which will feature on our website in the New Year see Fit 4 Fun hero Fabian take on his arch nemesis Dr Slob in a range of challenges. Make sure you check out the games where you will also have the chance to win a Wii & Wii Fit. If you know of a community group that could benefit from Fit 4 Fun activities contact the team on 01554 757599 or email fit4fun@cycaonline.org
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FAMILIES IN CRISIS
The CYCA Wales Limited ‗Families in Crisis‗ project is in the 6th month of its 3 year term. During the past 6 months we have received over 50 telephone enquiries from Professionals, concerned parents, family members seeking help and support and students looking for placements. The enquiries were in relation to what support we could offer families who were experiencing high levels of distress with presenting issues such as: parents finding it difficult managing their children‘s difficult/challenging behaviour; relationship breakdown; Divorce/Separation issues, bereavement; anger issues; stress and anxiety; Separation & Loss; Domestic Violence; young children self harming and teenagers who were not being supported by services.
The Families in Crisis Project is currently supporting 15 families; 22 adults, 9 male 13 women and 36 children, 17 boys and 19 girls from the ages of 3 months to 17 years old. There is a high demand for practical support, families‘ value the regular contact we offer which provides them with an opportunity to share what is going well and what areas are priority requiring focus and attention; help with form filling, benefits advice, housing issues, making and attending GP appointments, help to develop parenting skills without feeling inadequate or less knowledgeable than professionals; and promoting communication between family members and professionals.
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WINTER 2010
The Counsellors are almost running at full capacity with some availability for Crisis Intervention work. The Counsellors have been very accommodating in meeting the needs of the project, using a flexible approach which has been beneficial in establishing the Counselling Service and fundamental to developing the project and supporting the service users. All aspects of the Counselling service are valued by clients accessing weekly sessions and the Professionals referring into the Project. Clients have commented on the benefits of having weekly sessions and the relationship they develop with the Counsellor. When clients come to the end of their counselling they will have the offer of continual support if necessary. To date the clients who have ended counselling have taken the offer of further support and they like the flexibility of being able to receive the level of support suited to the intensity of the crisis they are experiencing.
The team is delighted to welcome a new Volunteer Support Worker, Susan Lock. Susan is a 2nd year student on the HND Counselling course at Coleg Sir Gar, Ammanford. Finally, the project team has received tremendous interest and support from the local community, for which they are extremely grateful. A special thank you is extended to the Head of Maes y Morfa Primary School who is committed in prioritizing the children‘s interests and takes the emotional health and wellbeing of his pupils seriously. Also a thank you to Glenda Davies from Marks & Spencer for organising a Christmas gift appeal and to people who supported and contributed to the generous Christmas Presents donated to FIC families.
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LITTLE SERAPHS NURSERY & CRÉCHE
It has been another busy period at Little Seraphs Day Care Centre, with many themes to celebrate. As the seasons changed, the children had fun taking part in leaf painting activities. Then it was time to celebrate Halloween, where the children created bats, pumpkins and brooms. Both children and staff dressed up in their Halloween costumes and tasted pumpkin soup before carving their very own pumpkins and making a Halloween display. To celebrate Bonfire Night the children painted their own fireworks with shiny paint and glitter. During circle time the children were made aware of the danger of fireworks and had fun trying to copy the sounds of fireworks. They also had fun in the garden watching fireworks that were going on in the dark sky. For Children In Need the nursery staff decided to plan a fun packed week of ‗spotty activities‘ and asked the children‘s families to sponsor them to take part. Everyone had a great time taking part in the ‗spotty fun‘ which included making a ‗spotty‘ collage, making Pudsey masks, a Pudsey colouring competition, designing and making their own ‗spotty‘ T-shirts, and finally having a ‗spotty‘ party where everyone dressed up in ‗spotty‘ clothes and had party games and food. In total, the children at Little Seraphs raised a fantastic £280.20!!
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WINTER 2010
Other highlights have included the erection of a special outdoor blackboard, which is fixed to the garden wall. This has proved to be a major hit with all the children having fun drawing in the cold weather. Little Seraphs also continues to benefit from the excellent Tatty Bumpkin service, which are held every Monday afternoon and is as popular as ever with both children and their families. Little Seraphs is delighted to welcome a new member of staff, Lowri Davies. Lowri first came to work at the nursery as a volunteer whilst continuing at college, and such has been the quality of her work and the relationship she‘s built with the children, she has now joined the team on a more permanent basis. After last year‘s success, Little Seraphs once again staged a Christmas Fete, which took place on Saturday December 11th from 11am to 3pm. The centre was decorated for Christmas and we had a special visit from Santa who has his very own grotto. Other activities included free play in the playroom, children‘s song time, teas & coffees and mince pies. There was a chance to meet the staff and other parents who use the service. They could enjoy a display showing Little Seraphs‘ 2010 highlights. A warm welcome was extended to everyone.
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TEDDYBEARS NURSERY
It‘s been a busy period at Teddybears Nursery, as we kicked off the Autumn Term with a caring/sharing theme. Throughout the period children were treated to some special events. Fit 4 Fun visited the nursery to host a fun healthy eating session. This proved to be a very successful event as parents as well as children joined in the fun, where they had the chance to make a host of quick and easy healthy snacks. Another special event was when staff, parents, and children took a trip out to Llanelli Leisure Centre for a 'Love Learning' day of child-centered activities. In the nursery the children explored the changing Autumn environment through song and craft activities. They created a hedgehog from twigs, leaves and Autumn colour paints. He was named ―Bates‖ by the children and he now lives on the wall for all to see. Halloween, followed by Bonfire night, were celebrated with more glittery art work, and the children were taught how to keep safe on dark nights. In November, the children had a special visit from exotic animal company Zoolab. Parents and children enjoyed a fun session where they had the chance to look at and handle a variety of creatures including rats, snakes, gerbils, guinea pigs, toads, hermit crabs, and a tarantula!
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WINTER 2010
Children in Need week arrived and with it a week of fun, learning through play and experience: reading stories, making pictures, edible Pudsey bracelets, raffles, ribbon dancing, dressing up day and making a special Pudsey collage. Parents and carers were very supportive providing the nursery with special donations and taking part in a raffle. All the staff were extremely grateful as the parents helped the children raise ÂŁ90. The children are still being treated to Tatty Bumpkin sessions every week by provider Jean Morgan, where they have a great time listening to stories and doing exercises with Tatty. At the beginning of December, Teddybears held their annual Christmas concert where parents were treated to a magical festive show!
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JELLITOTZ NURSERY
It has been a very exciting time at Jellitotz Nursery as the children and staff settle into their new premises in Morfa Primary School. The new centre is fully equipped with state of the art indoor and outdoor nursery facilities, which children and staff are enjoying immensely!
During this period, the nursery has been visited by some special guests, including some real live owls, who visited the children during a special story time session. The children had a wonderful time stroking them and watched in delight as they flew over their heads.
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WINTER 2010
The children also took part in a fun festive cooking session, where they had the chance to make their very own tasty mince pies. As well as eating them in nursery the children took some home for their families to enjoy.
Jellitotz also took part in some fun ‗spotty‘ activities to help raise money for Children In Need. Throughout the week, the children had fun decorating the centre with their colourful spots, and on the day itself they all dressed up in their ‗spotty‘ costumes for a fun spottiest dressed costume competition.
Children and staff continue to benefit from the Tatty Bumpkin programme, where they are visited by Jean Morgan and Tatty on a weekly basis. Finally, some children will be graduating from Jellitotz and moving to big school in the New Year. All the staff will miss them and wish them all the best.
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ALL CHANGE AT CYCA YOUTH
After a short break, our Youth Club started back on Tuesday December 7th with a brand new exciting structure. Tuesday nights are now for under 14's from 6.30pm - 8.00pm and Thursday nights are for over 14's from 6.30pm - 8.00pm. The new club will provide a mix of drop-in support and accredited activities, as well as our normal safe place for young people to just kick back and chill if they need to.
As well as the new structure, our clubs have a brand new team in the form of Jamie Pike and Liz Bell. Both have a wealth of experience in working with children and young people and will prove to be a great asset to our youth provision. Their impact has been immediate as both were instrumental in securing ÂŁ850 funding from CAVS Youth Development Fun. The grant will be used to provide a range of Holistic Therapies & Crafts, together with Cookery Sessions. Jamie and Liz are planning trips and activities for the New Year with our young people between now and the Christmas break.
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WINTER 2010
Our Youth Digital Media project, which is taking place in rural areas of Carmarthenshire is proving to be a great success having recently developed its very own online TV Channel. The channel which was created by young people working on the project can be found on the youth section of our website.
We are also making a valuable contribution to external youth provision. For example, our Fit 4 Fun project has contributed to the Glanymor Youth Action Group this year by supplying Dragon Sports activities in the Summer and on Tuesday 7th December, held circus skills training in the Morfa Social Club. The group already has strong links with CYCA because some of the members of the Youth Action Group attend our Youth Club. Fit 4 Fun can fund activities such as healthy eating, circus skills, dance and sport for young people over 12 if they "buddy up" with under 12s. Any youth groups willing to work with under 12s in Llanelli and Carmarthen is encouraged to get involved in the New Year.
If you require any further information on CYCA's Youth Provision then please contact Barry Johnson on 01554 757599.
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OUR WISH LIST & UPCOMING EVENTS
At CYCA, we rely heavily on the generosity and support of both the general community and local businesses to help us survive. Whether you are an individual whose voluntary work can help us deliver our projects and services, or an organisation who can offer ‗in-kind‘ or financial support, your help will go a long way. Here‘s our wish list for 2011: Volunteers— we are looking for volunteers to help us carry out our projects and services. We can offer a host of opportunities, from childcare and play leader experience to administration and marketing. If you would like to get involved get in touch now, to see how we can help each other.
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WINTER 2010
UPCOMING EVENTS & CLUBS CYCA Holiday Clubs—February half term holidays at Dewi Sant Centre. CYCA After School Clubs—We run a host of after school clubs across Llanelli every week night. CYCA Youth Club Under 14s—Every Tuesday evening 6.308.00pm at Dewi Sant Centre. Everyone welcome. CYCA Youth Club Over 14s—Every Thursday evening 6.308.00pm at Dewi Sant Centre. Everyone welcome. Fit 4 Fun—Throughout 2011, Fit 4 Fun will be staging a host of healthy living events in schools and in the general community. Visit the Fit 4 Fun pages of our website for more details.
For more information about all of our events and clubs, contact us on 01554 757599
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STAFF IN FOCUS
JOHN COLLARD—FIT 4 FUN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT OFFICER
How long have you worked for CYCA? 2 years 2 months. What’s the best thing about your job? The look on children's faces when they try something new and like it. What’s the first thing you do when you get to work in the morning? Switch the laptop on and check emails (how boring is that!). What do you do to relax after a long hard day in the office? Avoid Partnership meetings. What are you hoping Santa will bring you this year? Claudia Schiffer! Do you have any New Year’s resolutions? As I never keep them, I'll become teetotal. What has been the highlight for you in 2010? Having schools get into Fit 4 Fun.
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WINTER 2010
OUR FUNDERS
CONTACT US For more information about CYCA and all of our services get in touch with us on 01554 757599, email cyca@cycaonline.org, visit our website www.cycaonline.org, or call in to see us at Dewi Sant Centre, Nevill Street, Llanelli, SA15 2RS. www.cycaonline.org
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