Well this is the first full report that I have given since we opened again. A fair few of the older children did not return after the summer holidays. Most of them have progressed to secondary school and regard the fact that we meet in their old primary school as a problem. This is something that we will have to resolve.
We held a BBQ to welcome everyone at the start of the term. Unfortunately I can’t report on that as I had a tummy bug so didn’t go. The following week we played games and taught the children a bit about the history of the Woodcraft folk.
The next week Clive produced a game and talked about Ghandhi, the work that he did for the poor of India and his visit to the mill workers in Lancashire. We also talked about the UN’s millennium goals, in particular the eradication of poverty and the opportunity of education for every child.
Last weeks session was due to be team building at an activity centre. Unfortunately there was a problem with the booking. So instead we played a very interesting and educational game. With arbitrary and changing rules, where to fail to fulfil the rule caused you to be excluded from the game. After everyone was asked to say how they had felt. There was a surprising range of emotions. The majority had disliked the experience. It was then explained that was intended to represent the trading conditions between countries and how they are manipulated for the benefit of powerful countries to the detriment of the weak. We then enjoyed some Fair-trade snacks. I say that the majority had disliked the experience; some had seen the game as a challenge while others wished to take the place of those setting the arbitrary rules, though notably not those who felt that they had been treated unfairly.