Inclusion

For my Inclusion focus, I'll be working with my Girlguiding county, Cumbria South, to create a relaxation, sensory, break area for young members at our County's 50th anniversary camp, the 'Golden Curlew Camp'. The idea is to create a space for young members attending the event who may need a quiet area to relax during the day.

After having a conversation with Sarah, our county commissioner, about if I could complete my Inclusion section at the camp, we came up with the idea of creating a space for young members to come and relax during the day, for instance, is we have a young member attending with a special educational need, such as autism, who may need a space to go to if needed, or for anyone who may be feeling over whelmed, be feeling ill, need some quite time or time to themselves, etc, creating a therapeutic space for young members from age 5 to 18 to enjoy.

The event is being held over the weekend of June 28th to June 30th 2024 in the grounds of Muncaster Castle, Cumbria. With Brownies and Guides camping for the duration, and Rainbows being invited for the day on the 29th.

On March 3rd 2024, a team from Cumbria South went to visit Muncaster Castle and the grounds, including Sarah. Unfortunately I was working this day so was unable to attend however when talking to Sarah after, was told they found two areas of the site where the Inclusion space could potentially be placed:

The first place where the inclusion tent could be set up on the 'Playground Lawns', which would be easy to find however wouldn't be overly quiet.

The second would be on the 'Front Lawns', which could be quieter depending on activities set up there, but may not be as easy to find.

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Initial Ideas and Research

My initial idea is to have some sort of gazebo styled area with a tent pitched next to it. Under the gazebo we could have a range of tables, with different items on each, such as sensory bottles, a box of fidget cubes or colouring pages, and then the tent pitched alongside is a comfy space for people to be able to relax in. At the moment, I don't have information regarding any budget or if we will have any power/electric for the area, so my plan it to research items that could create the space, and how they could be helpful, alongside any activities which could be run.

With having worked with young people with disabilities in the past and also in therapeutic environments for young people, I'm aware of how the 5 senses can play a huge role in helping to ease nerves, and anyone who may be overwhelmed and need space. The space will need to be flexible and cater for a ranger of abilities and ages.

• Sight - I imagine the majority of our area will be lit naturally throughout the day, however soft lighting such as fairly lights or projection lights may be useful to look into. I would also like to include colours, but calming colours such as greens and blues.
  

• Sounds - With the area most likely being outdoor, natural sounds from other young members and nature will be present. It may not be possibly to have power to play music, however calming music may be helpful. Other items for sound could include wind chimes or a water feature.
  

• Touch - I would like to have a basket of items available for people to borrow, from fidget toys, to squishy balls, fidget cubes and fidget rings, etc. These could be available to 'sign in and out' throughout the weekend. I would also like a range of textures to be present, such as cushions, blankets and beanbags and other cozy items which may help people relax. Sensory pathways may also be a good idea, such as stepping stones or balance beams.
  

• Taste - Depending on our budget, it would be good to have some kind food available for members to have, such as bubble gum or chewy sweets.
  

• Sights - I would like to design some posters/prints which can be placed on the tables, such as mindfulness techniques people could try, such as breathing exercises or the 5 senses deescalation technique (5 things you can see, 4 things you can touch, etc), how to do a body scan meditation, and more.
  

• Smells, possibly have some candles or other items with scents which the girls can play with.

Other ideas which I have looked into include finding books or magazines, having word searches and colouring books, other papers, collage making and more. I think its really important to create a space which can bring us into the present moment and help focus when stressed or overwhelmed, creating a calming space. The space will need to be accessible for all members attending the event, including those in wheelchairs or have mobility aids, such as walking sticks.

I'm currently working on creating a Pinterest board for inspiration which can be found here:

I'll also be working on a Canva Whiteboard to keep all of my ideas and progress together, this can be accessed here:

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Update May 11th 2024

I've recently talked to Sarah again about finalising an idea, and have come up with the following for more of a realistic idea for the tent:

I don't have much of a budget for the area, so anything that needs to be inside will need to either be made from stuff I already have, or bought cheaply which I could reused again. I have 2 tents which have been kindly been lent to be used for the area over the weekend.

Here is a list of what I have come up with to fill the space and what I need: Things to source, organise or buy

• Tent 1

• Tent 2

• Bubble Machine and Liquid

• Risk Assessment

Things to Make

• Worry Stones

• Sensory Jars

• Posters

• Fabric mazes

• Fiddle Keyrings

• I-Spy Bottle

• PomPoms

Things to Bring

• Uno Game

• Basket to place fidget items in

• Blankets, Cushions, Pillows and Teddies

• Colouring Pencils

• Colouring Pages and Word Searches

• Origami paper and instructions

• Fairy Lights

• Books such as wheres Wally.
  

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Making Day, June 13th

This morning I have been making the items on my 'Things to make' list above. Including worry stones, fidget mazes, Ispy bottle and more. I'm also beginning to get together items to be able to fill the chill out tent with and get them packed ready to take.

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Getting ready for Camp!

My final list and where I have got everything from or how I created them below:

Things to source, organise or buy

• Tent 1 - Borrowed from my friend

• Bubble Machine - Already had one

• Bubble Machine Liquid - Bought

• Risk Assessment - Done!

• Picnic Blanket - Borrowed from Rainbows and Brownies

Things to Make

• Worry Stones - Made out of Fimo Clay in a range of sizes and colours

• Sensory Jars - Created 2, one with pom-poms and glitter, the others with baby oil and coloured water

• Posters - Printed from Pinterest

• Fabric mazes - Made using fabric on my sewing machine with a bead in them

• Fiddle Key rings - Made using key rings and beads

• I-Spy Bottle - A bottle filled with rice and small objects to find

• PomPoms - Made some

Things to Bring

• Uno Game - Already had

• Basket to place fidget items in - Already had

• Blankets, Cushions, Pillows and Teddies - Already Had

• Colouring Pencils - Borrowed from Rainbows and Brownies

• Colouring Pages and Word Searches - Bought or printed

• Origami paper and instructions - Bought and printed 2x instruction patterns

• Fairy Lights - Already had

• Books - 2x Diary of a Wimpy Kid books for light reading.

Photos of everything ready to be put in the car to go to Camp - Tent not photographed but it's already in my car ready to go!

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Golden Curlew Camp Weekend!!

After arriving on June 29th, I went and spoke to our County Commissioner to get a precise location as to where my Inclusion tent was going, she had decided it was going on the South Terrace (in Zone 3), places where the red dot is below. With some help I managed to get the tent located in place:

On the morning of the 29th, I was up early to get all of the tent fully ready and all the items in place. Throughout the main day of the weekend, groups worked their way around each zone and several groups came to visit the tent! It was mainly Brownies that visited but I had really positive feedback overall and they all enjoyed themselves. Below are photos of the set up and some of the groups who visited:

Later afternoon, creators of the Twinkle for Heather team came to see what I had created, these were Sarah (Heather's mum) and Emily (Heather's sister). They were both really impressed with what I had created and asked if I would like to join them in the evening (as my tent was being taken down after the main activities had finished), taking some of the items from my tent, and moving it to the Twinkle for Heather tent. In the evening, several more young members were at the Twinkle for Heather tent and spent time around my inclusion tent items:

I had really positive feedback from everybody who attended the areas and interacted with what I had brought which was fantastic to see. Although we had some bumps in the road in the location and planning areas, I think all together it worked out well and the girls got something out of it.

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Reflection

Describe your activity or role.	I created a 'Chill out' space for young members attending Girlguiding Cumbria South's Golden Curlew Camp.
Why did you choose it for this section?	I think at Large Scale events, people attending can get very overwhelmed by the noise, crowds and more, people who have a disability or not. A space to go to be able to get away from the event and relax for a while.
What have you learnt from the activity or role?	I have learnt more about what the process is for creating an engaging and some what interactive space for people who may need their own space. I have learnt through research about how different types of toys, fidgets and activities can help with the senses and be able to help people feel calmer, which is also something I can take into my own life as a support worker.
What core skills have you developed and how?	Independence - For creating an area which hasnt been done before at our County event, and being able to plan, organise and risk assesses everything that needed doing.
What would you change or improve on if you did this activity again?	I did have some difficulties with the finalisation of this project, originally, my inclusion project involved teaming up with the Twinkle for Heather team, and be located next to their tent, which would have worked fantastically. Both the Twinkle team and I were under the impression we would be working alongside each other, however this was stopped for unknown reasons by our county commissioner. I wasn't overly happy with the final location my tent had be placed at. I had several conversations with our county commissioner around continuing to be located near Twinkle for Heather, but she kept saying no. I felt like my inclusion tent was shoved in a far away corner where no one could really find it. Although I had people attend the tent throughout the day, I think it could have still had a bigger impact being alongside the Twinkle for Heather team. The Twinkle for Heather team also agreed with me on this.
If applicable, how has it made a positive impact in Girlguiding	It gave a safe space for young members to go to during a large-scale event, as well as giving the Twinkle for Heather team some new ideas for any sensory items that they could use in the future.