The young people in our CHT Community are growing up, and we have a group of peers with a wide range of skills and talents.Â
We have adjusted our events over the years to suit the age and stage of our young people, some of whom our foster carers have supported for over ten years. To keep the young adults we support interested in community events, and to support them with sharing and growing their talents, we now ask them to take the lead on certain events with their peers.Â
Robert takes on the challenge
Over the April holidays, Robert (18) led a cookery class. Robert has been studying professional cookery to Level 5 at Fife College for three years and has work experience in busy kitchen environments. He decided to challenge himself further by offering a cookery class to young people who also want to learn skills for independence and enjoy a day with peers in the school holidays.
Robert and our Support Worker, Chelsey, worked together to design a two-course menu that would allow young people to choose from their likes and dislikes but follow the same steps. They did a practical run-through of the cookery, refined the instructions and firmed up their equipment and shopping lists.
A busy day in the kitchen
On the cooking day, young people started making desserts from a choice of ice cream or crème brulee. The choice of ice cream was universal. Robert provided different treats to flavour the ice cream with – Oreos, Smarties and Mint Aero Bubbles. The young people had varying levels of cooking experience. Robert supported them with measuring, weighing and following the correct order, as well as whipping cream by hand for tired individuals.
With the ice cream setting in the freezer, the young people emptied their packed lunches before embarking on their main course. Robert had wisely settled on the nutritionally balanced dish, Ramen, for the main course. This meant that the young people could choose their protein source from egg, chicken or steak and their favourite vegetables to pair with noodles and broth.
This dish involved several steps, and working through them took time and patience, waiting for their turn on the stove or a chopping station. Young people chopped their vegetables, boiled their noodles, prepared their protein and assembled the dish to their preference in a tub to take home. Everyone played to their strengths, with a couple taking on extra frying and chopping. The group finished ahead of schedule and had time to relax with games, with tired-looking faces taking home their tasty treats.
Thank you to Robert for taking on this task with a good deal of thought, organisation and a very calm head on the day. The team admires your fortitude under pressure. Everyone completed their two courses and showed good and respectful attention.
How we support young people
In addition to the package of support we offer foster carers, we have support for the young people they care for too.
We offer 1-to-1 support for children and young people to work on a specific goal or overcome a challenge they face. We also offer participation events for the young people to meet peers and crucially, have their voices heard when we review and plan services. We have also run events on The Promise, UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, care leavers, growth mindset and life skills.Â
Children and young people are at the heart of our community events, which are tailored to their needs and interests. We are thoughtful about how to celebrate seasonal events like Christmas, Easter, Summer and Hallowe’en; meeting the needs of the young people while also offering enjoyable experiences.Â
If you are interested in learning more about how we support the children and young people in our community, please get in touch and we will be happy to discuss it in more detail.
You can also read our full list of Frequently Asked Questions.