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Crafting a sense of home with paper towns


Youth of the World were back on form as we returned for another exciting Creative Expression Saturday session supported by BBC Children in Need this past springtime weekend.


We warmed up with interactive games like old favourites ‘Stuck In The Middle’ and ‘Duck-Duck-Goose,’ and got to know each other’s likes and dislikes around the table with ‘Would You Rather…?’ - and even a game of charades.


Each young person also got to test out their problem-solving and observational skills as they racked their brains figuring out who was the assassin, doctor, and gangster in a detective roleplay game.


See the photos below to get a sense of the hi-jinks on session!



After a short break, out came the arts and craft materials to create a paper town rooted in everybody’s sense of home.


Many of our young people come from intergenerational global-majority and sanctuary-seeker households, and so the concept of ‘home’ holds a different and unique meaning for all of them.


One participants included the Iranian flag to showcase her heritage, some made their favourite things in nature including bushes and trees, and one young person even designed an impressive traffic roundabout!



There are numerous benefits to making arts and crafts, and these can include:


·       Development of self-expression and self-confidence

·       Enhancing of fine-motor skills in children

·       Expanding of imagination and creativity

·       Improvements in mental health


Our talented young people were then presented with the fantastic final results of their book-binding session where they explored their cultural backgrounds – take a look below.



Lovely work everyone!


Each week on our sessions, we see young people take huge strides in their confidence and creativity, including with former participant Shaiza.


Now a volunteer, she says:


‘I’ve grown a lot with Afrocats, and so has my confidence.’

You're an inspiration to all of us, Shaiza, and we love seeing you encourage many more young people on the programme to raise their aspirations and reach for their dreams.


New volunteer Alice also reflected on her first session supporting us:


‘Today it’s been great to see the young people engaged with each other and the activity – I had so much fun!’

It was a pleasure having you volunteer with us Alice, you certainly had a positive impact on our participants and we look forward to having you on many more sessions.


Thanks to all who came for a great session as always – and here’s to our incredible Youth of the World.


To find out how to volunteer with us on our projects, email info@afrocats.org.uk for more information – our young people can’t wait to meet you!

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