Name – Ronnie Henderson
Year – 3rd
Subject – Ancient History
We’ve chosen you as our campus celebrity because of your involvement with the “Summer Adventures” project…and we also hear you’re running for Guild President too! So, firstly could you tell us a little about the project?
Summer Adventures is a holiday camp run for young carers aged between 8 and 14 – it aims to give the children a break from their responsibilities and an opportunity to interact with other young carers. As one of Community Action’s flagship projects, it is run by student volunteers who give up a few weeks in August to deliver a range of activities to the young carers.
How and why did you get involved?
I was first told about the project by one of my housemates – I became the activities manager for the 2013 camp, and I had such a great time that I applied to run this year’s project! I got involved in Summer Adventures because at school I had a friend who was a young carer, and I was able to see how important projects such as this are for young carers. For me, it’s a great way to make new friends and see more of Exeter whilst doing something productive with my summer.
Is there an opportunity for others to get involved?
Of course! We will be recruiting for volunteers to be on this year’s project in the next few weeks – sign up to Community Action to keep updated (it doesn’t cost a penny!)
What’s your highlight from last year’s project?
I think it has to be the day we spent at Heatree Activity Centre on Dartmoor. The obstacle course was a great opportunity for the children to demonstrate their teamwork skills – and watch some of us students make complete fools of ourselves too! I definitely didn’t get stuck trying to go through a tunnel…
How will the Summer Adventures project be running this year?
The project will be running in the format that was developed for last year’s project – the first week is a day camp for 8 – 11 year olds, and the second week is a residential camp for children aged 12 – 14. In both weeks we have a mix of activities held on campus and ‘out’ days – making the most of a range of local facilities such as Crealy Adventure Park, the RAMM and the Donkey Sanctuary.
Has your involvement in the project had any impact on your future plans and career goals?
I intend to become a teacher at some stage in my life, so being able to work on a project for children has been invaluable for developing my teaching style! In addition, leading a project such as this will give me great experience for any leadership roles that I take up in the future.