Blog: She Got Game Train the Trainer UK
Blog: StreetGames Wales National Director, Claire Lane
Date: September 2021
What an absolute privilege it was to deliver the She Got Game Train the Trainer residential this weekend. A huge thankyou to the fantastic team at Parkwood Outdoors Dolygaer for making us all feel so welcome and safe during our stay, and to Erasmus+ for the support with this project.
I have been involved in leading and supporting residential trips with young people for the last decade, and have so many stories to tell about the impact on young people from all across Europe, but this one felt different somehow.
Not only did we, as a staff team, have to consider new and different risks and mitigation’s due to the pandemic, we also spent a lot of time thinking about what this trip would be like for the participants themselves, particularly after the last 18 months!
For all of them, the pandemic has been hard in a million different ways, and we were very conscious of the impact that this could have on their residential experience. For many, this may well be the first time away from home, the first time in a prolonged social activity, and the first time that they get to meet new people from outside of their community - this is nothing new in terms of why and how we run residentials at StreetGames. All of these things however have been compounded as a result of the last 18 months, added pressure to the way in which people interact, and increased anxiety about being in new places and spaces.
I am so very proud of the staff team for the way in which each of us approached this event. As always, it was all about the young people’s experience, but with added care, attention and kindness to ensure that every single participant felt seen, appreciated and valued, but also supported to take part in ways that they felt comfortable with in these crazy times.
Yet again, I have learnt more about myself and my colleagues, who definitely double up as friends, and have even more memories and stories to tell. I have yet again seen first-hand the resilience that these fantastic young women we were working with have demonstrated, and the determination in their hearts to develop and achieve. I hope that we have helped them to see just how much potential each and every one of them has, and have provided them with at least some of the tools they need for their next steps. This is not the end for this group, but just the beginning, as we take the project forward.
