Cornwall Fire & Rescue Service Newsdesk

at 08/11/2010 09:19

A Helston project which aims to build confidence and self esteem in local young people has been awarded a grant of £10,000 by Big Lottery Awards for All, the scheme which grants funding for initiatives which aim to help improve local communities and the lives of people most in need.

The Helston Phoenix project team which includes Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service’s Keith Stringer and project coordinator Karen Harvey from Helston Community College, are involved in mentoring groups of young people who have taken part in the Phoenix Project courses run by Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service.

The grant will help the voluntary group to continue delivering projects and activities for young people who are encouraged to give something back to the community in which they live.

Some of the money will be used to fund a new and exciting project in partnership with the Sea Sanctuary charity and the Falmouth School of Sailing to run a sailing course designed to motivate and build confidence and self esteem in young people and which will include psycho-educational activities centered on emotional well-being.

The team will be liaising with local schools offering 5 subsidised places a day for 13 – 16 yr olds on the five one day courses with schools given the opportunity to participate in mentoring courses run by the Helston Phoenix Mentoring Team.

Project co-ordinator Karen Harvey from Helston Community College said: “We are delighted that our grant application has met with success. Over the last two years we have noticed that there is a need for extracurricular activities, in the evenings and during the school holidays. Since we have been running these projects, we have seen less antisocial behaviour in the community. Breaking down the barriers between different members of our community has been one of our successes.

We have worked with Rob Thurston, Principal of Falmouth School of Sailing, who offered us a programme of water sports and sailing opportunities, through the Freestyle programme. Through that initiative we made contact with Sea Sanctuary chief executive Joe Sabien which led to a four day sailing project in April this year called the ‘Sail in to Life’ project. The project was aimed at young people aged 14 -16yrs who lacked confidence, had low self esteem and self worth. Some had little motivation and no aspirations. The young people took part in a two day sailing and water sports project and a two day Phoenix type course. All the activities required team building, trust, listening and verbal skills and respect, not only for themselves but others. We decided to apply for funding to sustain that project as it was a huge success and I am delighted that our application to the Big Lottery Awards for All scheme has been successful. This will allow us to run a similar project next year.

The team wishes to express their sincere and grateful thanks to Dr McGovern and staff at Helston Community College for their continued support. To the Downsland Trust, Helston Town Council, and to Susan Swift, who has been the Phoenix Project Champion since we started 8 years ago.”