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On the 31st October our Year 8 Rising Futures students from King Edmund School spent half a day fundraising for Trust Links at the Asda superstore in Shoeburyness. Overall, the students raised an impressive total of £266.68!
The day had been designed so that the group were placed into pairs with those that they didn't know as well, and for the majority of pairs boy, girl. Coaches were divided up amongst the groups. On arrival at Asda the students were assigned tills where they would be offering to help with packing, along with Trust Links donation boxes to hopefully generate contributions.
Despite there being a level of anticipation and anxiety among some of the group, they all took to the task in hand. Rebecca and Joe took very easily to their role and were polite and thoughtful. (We had discussed the nature of packing, ‘squidgy’ items on top!).
Adam and Matthew seemed quite shy at the start of the day but soon found their confidence and really got into it. The students who were less outgoing were encouraged by the Coaches and worked well. Ruth appeared to come out of her shell and worked well with Nathan. Alicia who had been particularly nervous in the beginning also got involved.
Amina was especially polite and greeted customers, her excellent communication skills and enthusiasm were commented on by coaches who observed her.
Fundraising was competitive with students seeing who collected the most donations. Whilst taking turns at the entrance to the store, Elizabeth and Albie heard first hand how Trust Links' community gardening project had helped a man who had lost everything following a fall at work. This gave them real evidence of how the project has supported so many.
Our afternoon was spent at the Trust Links site at Rochford, which enabled students to learn more about the charity and its ‘Growing Together Project’ through a presentation and the chance to assist with everyday tasks such litter picking and leaf sweeping. Sarah and Ethan worked particularly hard at their tasks.
Students were asked for their comments on the day and how they felt they had supported their own learning and development. All those who spoke out said they believed the day had helped them with their communication skills. They had found it fun and interesting. They could all see where their achievements of the day fitted with the skills and competencies within the Talent Toolbox and how they would now feel more confident in ticking these off in their book at their next coaching session. A job well done by our year 8 King Edmund students!
To find out more about how your students could get involved with projects like this, please contact Sophie, Impact Manager: sophie@yesfutures.org, 07908 687779.
The names in this post have been changed to protect the privacy of students.