Oxfordshire Youth Enablers (OYE!)

Discussion about the new portable climbing wall

In: Oxfordshire County Council’s new Listening Lounge

Hosted by: Bardwell School’s Listening Post

17 May 2010 2 Contents

Contents...... 1

What we think about the new portable climbing wall...... 3

Bardwell School, OYE! Listening Post...... 3

What we did...... 3

Background information about the portable climbing wall...... 3

What we said...... 4

What is Oxfordshire County Council going to do next?...... 4

Thank you!...... 5

3 What we think about the new portable climbing wall

Bardwell School, OYE! Listening Post

19 May 2010

What we did On 19 May 2010, 21 young people from Bardwell School were asked about a new portable climbing wall. We answered some questions in our usual class groups, Group 3 (aged 10 to 12), Group 4 (aged 13 to 15) and Group 5 (aged 16 to 19).

The first part of the session took place in the new inflatable Listening Lounge and an extra 7 young people joined in the experience and were asked their views prior to the event. We went in the Listening Lounge and some of us used the camera equipment to have our say.

The next part was some training in climbing and survival in which we tried equipment and went in a survival tent.

We really enjoyed ourselves and used these words to describe the event:

‘I liked it!’, ‘Fantastic!’, Happy!, ‘Yes!’ ‘I liked the rope bit and putting on the equipment’, ‘Fun’, ‘Good’, ‘Excellent’ and ‘Exciting’

4 Background information about the portable climbing wall

A portable climbing wall has been bought by Oxfordshire County Council so that people in lots of different parts of Oxfordshire can go climbing in an area near them.

What we said

Would you like to go on a climbing wall? We were asked if we would like to have a go on a climbing wall, and 16 out of 21 of us said yes. One of us said maybe, and three said we wouldn’t like to.

Would you like to go with your friends from school? We discussed whether we would like to go with our friends from school, and 15 of us agreed that we would and only three said they wouldn’t.

Would you like to meet new friends? Most of us said we would like to meet new friends (13) although some weren’t so sure (3 maybe’s) and four said no, they wouldn’t like to meet new friends. We were slower to answer this question and this maybe because we weren’t so sure that meeting new friends would be good fun.

Where would you like the climbing wall to be? It was important to think about where we would like the climbing wall to be, and some of us said here at school (5) whilst others had different ideas. Some people thought it should be at Garth Park (3) and others within walking distance of Bardwell, or near Brackley. Some said they thought it would be best at Cooper School, or Bicester Sports Centre, or a Fritwell or Kidlington Park, so there were lots of different ideas for this question.

How would you find out about it? When we talked about how we would find out about the climbing wall, there was a range of suggestions, such as ‘cos it’s high!’, or from friends or family one of us even thought it should be on ‘Sat Nav!'. Some of us said we’d ask the teachers, or phone the school, and one answer was ‘No’.

What is Oxfordshire County Council going to do next? As a result of your feedback we will provide the climbing wall in as many of the areas as we can. We will offer sessions at school first of all and then out in other places so that you can get used to using the climbing wall before working with new people. We will tell you where the climbing wall is going to be through your school and parents or carers. We will report back to you in

5 six months time and let you know what we have done. None of these actions were decided before we were asked.

Thank you! A big thank you to all the children and young people who came to the event, to Bardwell School teachers Jan Burley and Laura Kent as well as Oxfordshire County Council staff and volunteers: Anna Buckingham, Diane Long and Shelley Maxfield and Benny Muiruri.

If you would like to find out more about this discussion please get in touch with:

Michelle Eyre Children and Young People’s Disability Forum Coordinator Telephone: (01865) 256667 Email: [email protected]

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