Grab your wellington boots, gather the kindling, and have those marshmallows toasting at the ready. Why I hear you say? Because the Teenage Woodland Days are back and I for one cannot wait.
At the beginning of 2017 Circle of Life Rediscovery in partnership with East Sussex CAMHS (Discovery College) successfully secured a grant from ITV’s The People’s Projects. This well earnt money will be used to fund the upcoming Teenage Woodland Days, as well CLR/CAMHS-LD/FISS Family days.
As a CAMHS Peer Trainer I feel very excited about the forthcoming project, particularly as I had such close involvement in spreading the word and rallying up the support for it through its stages of public voting. Yes, this Peer Trainer was even featured on ITV Meridian doing just that, although I will confess that the fame has yet to go to my head.
Asides from getting back out into the ever changing mystical woodland, I’m especially looking forward to working with the fantastically enthusiastic young people whom have been previously involved in woodland projects. Their continued energy and passion for being outdoors is wonderful to watch. But one thing that I’m really hoping for is that there will be some new faces on our Teenage Programme. The woodland welcomes all to its beautifully calm space and all you need is an open mind and an invitation to yourself to allow your senses to take in the wonder of nature and its beauty, as it changes throughout the seasons.
The weather is already beginning to change and soon it’ll become more apparent that Autumn is ready and waiting to announce its presence. The leaves will darken and fall to the ground and suddenly the annual childlike desire to crunch all over them underfoot becomes all too irresistible. The changing of the seasons is something that I’m most excited about in relation to the upcoming woodland days. The programme will run from September 2017 through to July 2018. All four seasons will be experienced over that period of time and I’m intrigued to watch how the woodland changes in its entirety.
So, are you between the ages of 13-19 and are experiencing mental health difficulties? Why not try something new, take an exploration into the heart of the woodland or simply unleash your inner Bear Grylls and start learning how to build a fire whilst cooking something delicious on it to enjoy.
Come along and you won’t be disappointed, although I cannot guarantee that you won’t get muddy – see you in the woods!
Weekend Dates:
2017
September 16th, October 23rd, November 18th,
2018
January 13th, February 3rd, March 3rd, April 6th, May 19th, June 9th, July 7th & 8th.
Celebration Event
May 29th – all families & supporters welcome.
Where:
Mill Wood, Vert Woods Community Woodland, Park Lane, Laughton, Lewes, East Sussex BN8 6BP (map available on request).
Times:
10am – 3.30pm.
Trainers:
Mark Lloyd, Rivkah Cummerson, Luke Funnel, Marina Robb and Emma Thorne.
How to sign up:
To register for a course all you or your supporter (relatives, friends and carers) need to do is:
Phone: 0300 303 8086
Email: [email protected] or
Write: to Discovery College, Aldrington House, 35 New Church Road, Hove, BN3 4AG giving the titles of the courses you would like to attend and your address.
A registration from will then be sent to you by post for you to fill in. If you find completing the form is difficult for any reason, please call us to confirm you can attend the first session and come along with your form, so we can support you to complete it. We can do a home visit if you would find that helpful.
If you have any questions about registration please contact Rivkah Cummerson, CAMHS Participation Manager, tel: 07876 037478.
For any questions about the content of the programme please contact Mark Lloyd, Circle of Life Rediscovery, tel: 07961 015307.