Young people from across the UK came together in Design My Break's first year to enter a competition to re-shape their mid-day break, making sure it is a healthy and happy time. It was a great success and there were some really exciting proposals which should now be well embedded within the schools that entered.
Congratulations to Ysgol Tregib from Llandeilo in South Wales for being the National Winners - see all of the winners on the Design My Break website
For 2012, GE is broadening the scope of Design My Break to supporting and developing young people's own ideas on how they can improve their healthy eating, physical activity and emotional well-being both now and for the future - not just during the mid-day break.
The new Design my Break engages a variety of resources to encourage 11-14 year olds to think about how they can improve their own health and well-being, creating resilient young people with a positive attitude towards life and learning. Linking with the Olympic and Paralympic values, young people are motivated to set goals, build self-belief and create their own improvement plans to ensure a healthy active and happy future.
Workshops
GE has created two Design My Break workshops around the Design My Break themes of physical and mental well-being.
Both workshops are under-pinned by the Olympic and Paralympic values of: respect, excellence, friendship, courage, determination, inspiration and equality.
Design My Plan
Using the example of improving the Lunch Break, Design My Plan takes young people through the process of an improvement project which will impact their health and well-being both now and into the future. The workshop will empower young people and enable them to create their own project and implement their ideas.
Design My Future
Combining interactive exercises and film, Design My Future aims to help young people set goals, create a vision and improve their self-esteem. The workshop helps them to recognise that their attitude to school, learning and themselves now will have an impact on their future.
Age Group
The Design My Break programme is designed for 11 to 14 year olds. but the Design My Plan workshop could be any age group. The Design My Future workshop is ideally for young people about to decide on their subject options. The room set up for both Workshops is tables with 6 to 8 young people per table. The optimum total number of young people is 60, but this can be flexible.
Volunteers
If business volunteers are to be engaged, the workshops need two presenters and one volunteer per table with the young people. Volunteers will receive Webex training. Workshops can be run by an outside consultant using GE volunteers at the tables, but this will have a cost to the business (the first four workshops we arrange will have no cost, but there must be a minimum of 60 young people) Resources For either of the workshops each table will need flip chart paper and pens. The presenters will need a data projector, screen and two flip charts. Additional resources are needed for Design My Future. Time-line Design My Plan can be run either as a morning Workshop or for a whole day. Design My Future is a day long workshop
Availability
Both these workshops are available to schools across the UK in the following formats:
1/ Facilitated and supported by GE volunteers either at the school or on GE's premises. This will depend on the date required and the availability of volunteers who will be fully trained by GE.
2/ As a downloadable resource with teachers notes from GE's iCount website.
Arranging a Workshop
Schools should contact GE using Contact Us.
Downloading Material
If GE is unable to provide volunteers to a school they can still access the material and run their own workshops, but need to register on the iCount website and provide feedback (the material is currently under development).
