How to do activities outside of school, the different types of activities you can do.
How to do activities outside of school
At your PEP meeting you will be asked about the kinds of things you like to do in and out of school. Often your carer will be the one who can take you to activities and help you find places to go.
If you need to pay for equipment or classes, your social worker can apply for money to help with this.
The Rife Guide Go to http://www.rifeguide.co.uk/ (opens new window) has information about activities in and near Bristol. Most places have websites that tell you about the groups or classes they run.
Out of school hours learning
Lots of young people have extra teaching outside of the school day.
You can sometimes get extra support through supplementary schools Go to https://www.supplementaryeducation.org.uk/supplementary-education-the-nrc/ (opens new window) and community schemes. If you'd like this kind of help, tell the people at your PEP meeting and they will help sort it out.
Join your local library
Libraries are free to join.
They have books, DVDs and computer games to borrow for free, and spaces for you to chill out and relax.
They often run holiday crafts and activities, children's book groups and homework clubs.
Find your nearest library if you live in Bristol.
If you live outside of Bristol, the council where you live will also have a list of libraries. Your carer or school can help you find more information.
Visits to universities
Not enough young people who have been in care go to university. We want to encourage more young people to think about going to university.
The HOPE team work with people from universities around the South West to do visits to different universities. The universities organise lots of activities for these visits and student ambassadors show you around. We send you a letter when we're organising a visit.
At the moment these visits are for young people living in or near Bristol, but if you live further away The HOPE may be able to help you find something similar near you.
Many universities run summer schools for pupils in Year 11 and 12. Your school and The HOPE can tell you more about these. You can ask about what's on near you at your first Personal Education Plan meeting in Year 11.
The HOPE Creative
The HOPE Creative usually runs face to face music sessions in Bristol. They can't meet face to face at the moment, but they're doing free online one to one music lessons instead.
Talk to your carer or social worker if you're interested in this. Our HOPE Projects page will tell them what they need to know.
Children's University (CU)
The CU Go to http://www.childrensuniversity.co.uk/ (opens new window) does activities outside of normal school hours for children and young people aged between 5 and 14.
It costs £5 to join, and it runs across the country so you can join in wherever you live.
You can collect 'stamps' and hours of learning to count towards your own Passport To Learning'. There's a graduation ceremony when you finish.
Here's a quote about the CU from a Bristol young person in care: "I loved going to all my clubs to earn points for my passport, but my favourite thing was the boat trip and picnic we went on."
National Citizen Service (NCS)
The NCS Go to https://wearencs.com/ (opens new window) gives young people aged between 15 and 17 the chance to do exciting activities and build skills for work and life.
It's a 4 week programme in teams of 15 young people. It starts with an adventure week away, followed by a skills week and a 2 week community project. It takes place in your local community outside of term time, and runs all over the UK so you can join in wherever you live.
The usual cost is £50 but young people in care can get a place for £25.
pdf Read about young people's experiences with the NCS (91 KB) .
