Progress

The Interact club at Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form are a group of students who have come together on a voluntary basis to do good in their local, national and the world wide community.

The group is student focused and student led, headed up by joint presidents. The group are self-funding, and have the support of an Interact coordinator in College, but are so focused the role of coordinator is often redundant.

The motto of the group is action not words. They do not talk about how they can make things better for their local area, and further afield. They identify areas they want to work on and do just that, work in order to make a difference.

Work from the group can take many strands, raising funds, raising awareness, but in the main action, and action to make a difference.

The group's key project this year was “I PROMISE”. The students and the staff coordinator made a promise to help someone this year. Each promise was linked to a personal interest, and each promise was fulfilled. Enclosed is a copy of a booklet produced by one of the Interact students to show what the students had done with their promises. Alongside this the group focuses on small actions that make a big difference, such as spending time at the food bank, sorting and packing food, it may have only been one day but it impacted the lives of 200 in the local area.

The presidents lead from the front, they take part in most if not all activities and are always pushing to do more. Both took part in a sleep out on the pavement in order to raise funds for the local homeless charity, they slept out so others could sleep in.

A large focus has been placed on reducing social isolation in their community. Weekly the group visits local care providers in order to socialise with older people, and many great friendships have been made over the scrabble board. Christmas often a lonely time for older people was combated with the group helping age concern served 120 meals to older people without relatives, and the organising of a Christmas lunch event in college, where 65 older people were invited in entertained, given lunch and all left with a Christmas gift, and the knowledge that someone cares about them. Following the success of this, a half termly community group now meets in the college, where students simply sit and chat over a cup of tea, play board games, but for that one day remove the feelings of loneliness the older people have, small actions that make a big difference, and these small actions were put in place by this group of young people..

The group recognise how hard our local emergency services work, and have done several projects. The group actively supports their local hospital, Darlington Memorial. Robert a member designed and is waiting to paint a mural on a wall of the children’s ward to reduce child stress in the hospital. The group also worked with a local poet, who supplied and amount of poems, on all forms of paper. The group put together the poems in a booklet, formatted it, added illustrations, this is now being sold in 8 of the local hospitals in order to raise funds

The group do share their activities via Twitter in the hope of inspiring others. This can be found at @QEInteractClub. They have also received two mentions on the Chris Evans Breakfast show on Virgin Radio in recognition of work done.

Recent activities - Since Feb 2019 - Feb 2020

Environmental.

  • Beach clean on local beach - 12 bags of rubbish collected and removed

Social

  • Homeless sleep out on the pavement - Money raised to buy and deliver 60 Presents for care home residents
  • Money raised for to create 12 Activity packs and gifts for children, and gifts for 8 females living in the Women’s Refuge in Darlington
  • Helped serve 120 Christmas meals with Age Concern at Christmas
  • The group spent a day sorting food donations at the food bank in Darlington
  • The group spent a further morning packing 200 parcels for collection from the food bank

Our Community

  • The group raised funds for a Free Field trip with lunch provided to Washington Wetlands Trust for 15 local residential care residents
  • Planned and ran a Christmas event for 65 older people in Darlington, providing lunch entertainment and Christmas gifts for all.
  • The group have Established a tea and chat afternoon in College for older people in Darlington, in conjunction with Darlington Town Mission
  • Worked with Darlington Hospital in producing a book of poems from a cancer patient to sell in 8 local hospitals in order to raise funds for the hospital.
  • Group members Produced images and displays for waiting room display in a ward in Darlington Hospital
  • The group Decorated Abbeyfield House a local residential care home for Christmas
  • Group delivered craft activity sessions making Christmas table centres with residents at Abbeyfield house
  • The group hand baked and delivered 192 cupcakes To A&E and Emergency Services in Darlington to say thank you for their hard work.
  • The group run a Tuesday social group to Reduce Social Isolation at Abbey 54 games Scrabble, 116 games Dominoes, 67 games Draughts (WE WON 8)

Our National Community

  • The group obtained a donation of Christmas cards and worked in college and had 1214 Christmas cards sent to children with life limiting illnesses with the charity post pals.
  • The group created a pen pals scheme for monthly letters to children with life limiting illnesses.
  • Completed dementia awareness training, raised awareness and funds for Dementia awareness selling cakes and forget me nots.

Our World Community

  • The group raised money to fund Training in Emergency Aid for 4 Midwives in Uganda
  • The group raised funds for 10 Foetal Stethoscopes for midwives in Uganda
  • The group raised money and Funded 200 Polio Vaccinations In Africa
  • They make lives better for small children in areas of conflict or natural disaster. The group arranged for toy animals to be knitted and then made story books about the animals. The animal and book were sent to children in areas of natural disasters and conflict.

Fundraising

  • To raise funds the group did a 1200 Leaflet Drop for St Teresa’s, with Darlington rotary club.
  • They raised funds and created 25 Family hygiene packs for Firth Moor Food Bank
  • The group having personal experience raised funds and collected donations to create Cancer care bags for chemo patients in Darlington hospital.
  • The group put together 15 care packages for people who are homeless
  • Collections for British Heart Foundations - Donates to date equate to over £800

Working towards Feb - June

  • River Cleanse - removal of rubbish from local river with council.
  • Beach Clean
  • Deliver 2 Activities mornings for Children with Downs Syndrome
  • Summer Social event for Abbeyfield residential home with entertainment- birds of prey.
  • Helping clean local animal shelter
  • Create a community garden in Newton Aycliffe at local school
  • Working with a local church in restoring the churchyard.
  • Paint Mural designed by Interact member in Darlington Hospital