30 young people attended Charlton Athletic Community Trust’s (CACT’s) Premier League Kicks half-term camp at two venues in the Royal Borough of Greenwich.
The half-term camp, which was run under the National Youth Agency (NYA) guidelines, was held at the Charlton Athletic Training Ground in New Eltham and Hawksmoor Youth Hub in Thamesmead and got young people involved with a number of activities including outdoor sports and educational workshops.
Attendees were provided with a hot nutritious meal each day during the lunch period and fresh fruit and healthy snack bars were made available each morning for all participants.
The PL Kicks programme uses the medium of sport to engage with young people and is targeted at those living in communities where they are considered to be more vulnerable to crime either as victims or potential offenders.
Maksin, who attended the half-term camp, said:
“I liked doing fun things, making friends and being treated as an equal. At first I didn’t feel like I belonged there but I got more and more confident with myself and I felt more active and healthy.”
Kim Dixson, CACT’s London Social Inclusion Coordinator, said:
“It was great to host the PL Kicks half-term camp. It’s been challenging for the young people throughout lockdown, so it was really nice to engage with them face-to-face and see them enjoy the activities we provided.
“After being at home for so long, we wanted to make sure we could be outdoors as much as possible to ensure safe social distancing as well as enjoy some fresh air!”