Keeping Up With Action is back and this week Label spoke with the Project Leaders for Ashmount, Rhiann Cronin and Leah Hamilton:
The Ashmount project offers volunteers the opportunity to visit Ashmount School which specifically caters for young people with severe learning difficulties. Volunteers choose whether they would most enjoy offering a helping hand in the classroom or activities such as swimming and horse riding.
What is the most enjoyable aspect of Ashmount?
It’s very gratifying to be trusted by Ashmount School’s Head Teacher to successfully organise the project. It’s also great being able to have direct input into any proposals Rosie, VP Action, and Kat, Action’s Equality and Diversity Officer, make to the school about how we can improve the project to make it more accessible to a greater number of students, but also more valuable for the children.
What is the most challenging ot trying aspect of Open Door?
Admin! To volunteer at the school volunteers must have DBS certificates, complete an application form and provide two references. This is hard to organise as students at Loughborough and Ashmount’s staff have such busy timetables.
Why did you want to be project leader for this particular project?
Rhiann: I have volunteered in schools before and so know first-hand how fun working with young people is. I wanted to accept the challenge of working with a varied age group, whilst deepening my understanding of different types and severities of learning difficulties.
Leah: In sixth form I became an additional needs prefect, this allowed me to create a connection with students who had varying learning difficulties and understand the duties of the support staff. Becoming an Ashmount Project Leader was the natural next step to build on this experience.
The project gives volunteers the opportunity to develop key life skills, such as patience and listening skills, in a fun environment. At the same time interacting with fresh faces makes the children happy; hearing their stories about their activities with the volunteers is what makes it worthwhile. Overall it is a very rewarding experience for everyone involved. – Rhiann Cronin, Ashmount Project Leader
Be sure to check in next week for Label’s next instalment of Keeping Up With Action series and see the other ways Action contributes to the town of Loughborough.
