The Youth Service’s Holiday Venture Schemes include some additions to the traditional programme.
Prices have also been low to help parentand an early bird discount is available for some activities.
Cronk-y-Berry Primary School is the venue for schemes running during the first four weeks of the holidays – weeks commencing 22 and 29 July and 5 and 12 August.
Outings, crafts and activities will keep young people occupied whatever the weather. There are separate schemes for those in Years 4 to 7 and Years 7 to 9. Pupils in the first year at secondary school can opt for either scheme, so can join up with younger or older siblings.
The first week of the holidays will see a similar scheme running for Years 4 to 6 at Rushen Youth Centre in Port Erin and in the week commencing 5 August, this scheme will switch to Peel Youth Centre.
All these schemes cost £80 a week or £20 a day, with an early bird discount of 10 per cent off if booked by June 14.
Youth officer Dave Hattersley said: ‘All these schemes are run and organised by Department of Education and Children Youth Service qualified youth workers who are, of course, police checked. Activities vary from scheme to scheme but include arts and crafts, sports and visits to locations around the island.’
An arts and drama week takes place at the Youth Arts Centre in Kensington Road, Douglas, from July 22 to 26 and will see children acting, singing and creating props, costumes and backdrops for an end-of-week production of Roald Dahl’s The Witches. The scheme costs £120.
Soundcheck offers a week of music-based activities for Years 7, 8 and 9 at the same venue (week commencing July 29). Participants will have the chance to perform at the Southern Music Festival later in the summer. Taking part costs £100.
The Adventure Education team will run two weeks of activities for Years 7 to 10, starting on August 5 at Ardwhallan, West Baldwin, with daily collection and drop-off at Cronk-y-Berry School.
Activities include kayaking, an assault course, gorge-walking, climbing, archery and sailing, to name but a few, although the programme is subject to alteration in bad weather. This scheme costs £125 a week or £30 a day.
Students in Years 10 and 11 can opt for a photography course, based at the Isle of Man College of Further and Higher Education, for a week from July 22. It will be by run by professional photographer Brian Mitchell and will lead to an Open Award. The cost is £100.
A Facebook page, Holiday Venture Schemes 2013, is the place to get up-to-date information. Leaflets, posters and booking forms are also available from schools and via the website iomyouth.com
For more information, contact the Youth Office on 686057 or email Jane Duke – j.duke@doe.sch.im
All the schemes in the appropriate age groups will be validated as Children’s University activities, earning participants stamps in their passports.
