Bens placement blog - Week 1

Ben working on his blog at New Scene

Ben, a student at Dorin Park, recently completed a successful placement at LIVE! New Scene Youth Centre in Chester. During his time there he compiled a blog for us to put on our website. Below is the first installment .... There will be more to follow over the coming weeks.

Ben’s Blog 20^th April 2010

For a very long time (I think it was about 2000-ish), I’ve been attending a youth club in my home town of Wrexham called Dynamic. After a long, hard day at school, I wanted nothing more than just to go there and chill out.

I started attending Dorin Park School in February 2007. One day, I heard one student utter the word “MIMO”! I thought “Who’s Mimo, Elmo’s new sibling on Sesame Street?” I then quickly realized that it was a youth club in Chester. I then found that MIMO was actually called LIVE!. And then I found out it’s real real name was actually the New Scene Youth Club. I then discovered that quite a lot of kids from Dorin Park attend LIVE! I then thought this would be something for me…

One day, I was at the Summer Scheme at Dynamic, when we were told that we were going to actually go to LIVE! (I was actually on holiday when I found out) I could hardly contain my excitement! So we got there, had some wild fun, had lunch and socialized.

I went a second time a couple of months later for a disco.

I first heard about the BREN Project at the start of this year. Beforehand, when I first heard the term “Bren Project”, I thought they were something to do with horticulture. So it really widened the gap when I found out they were actually a charity specialising in work experience opportunities for people in Chester and the surrounding areas. I was seen at my house by two men called Derek and Peter. They asked me and my mother loads and loads of questions regarding interests, health, personal needs, etc.

One day at school, I was asked whether I was doing a newsletter for LIVE! I thought it was a wild rumour at first. A few weeks later though, I found out I was actually starting work experience at LIVE! I will be doing the placement for eight weeks, and when Sandra Pollitt, who is the manager of LIVE!, comes back from her holidays, then the hard work really begins…..

Not only have I started work exp., I have also started to attend “Friday Night LIVE”. It’s definitely wackier than Dynamic, but I love it!!!!

At least the face paint is off me (for the time being)

Obtaining membership of LIVE! is easy-peasy lemon squeezy. You can pick up a membership form from LIVE!, fill it out (it’s fairly easy to understand) and give it in on your first day there. MIMO is quite different though. Because it is a straight-after-school club, they give members a passport so bus drivers and escorts know whether or not to drop them at New Scene after school.

So anyone who’s never been from Dorin Park, I highly recommend trying it out. You may just make some new friends…..

I had my first day at LIVE last Friday which was 16^th April. The group had about 15-20 people (including the staff) First we played a lot of games, including running races, a sing-off, a competition to build towers from marshmallows and spaghetti and more!!! The only downside I can think of, the only person I knew from school was Chris. But it wasn’t so bad because he’s one of my own friends too….

If anyone from Dynamic ever reads this, I just want you to know I haven’t lost all faith!