We are now taking bookings for the Playscheme in February – starting Monday 13th Feb to Friday 17th Feb 2012.

Timetable of activities
Monday 13th Feb
Morning – Martial Arts and Art Attack
Afternoon – Outdoor Multi-sports with London Youth coack

Tuesday 14th Feb
All day trip to Drusilla´s Theme Park. Leaving at 9:30 am and returning at 5pm

Wednesday 15th Feb
Morning – Martial Arts, Valentine Bingo
Afternoon – Cinema (offsite)

Thursday 16th Feb
Morning – Start of talent show auditions and free play
Afternoon – Games and quizzes for prizes

Friday 17th Feb
Morning – Martial Arts, talent show auditions and practice
Afternoon – party and bowling

October Playscheme is back!

Monday 23rd October to Friday 28th October 2011! 10am to 4pm. Book early to avoid disappointment!

We are open to children from 8 to 11 years old.
The cost is £25 per child if paid BEFORE Monday 17th October. £30 if paid after 17th October.

Half price for siblings.

Theme – Halloween

Monday 24th October
Morning: Arts & Crafts, Make a Halloween costume, Afternoon: Corams Field Trip
Tuesday 25th October
Morning: More costume making, Halloween Bingo
Afternoon: Bowling Trip
Wednesday 25th October
Trip to HMS Belfast
Thursday 27th October
Morning & Afternoon: Pool, Table Tennis, Kinnect, Board Games, Dance Workshop
Friday 28th October
Morning: Costume making, Spooky Decorations, Afternoon: Dance Showcase, Halloween Fancy Dress, Party Time

The thing that made the trip special was that all the young people came from different social backgrounds and that many of them had never been to a football match before. This was also a unique experience for staff and volunteers at Dragon Hall; it was extremely ambitious to take out three different groups, totalling 25 young people.

It was clear that everyone really enjoyed the experience and we had positive feedback from the young people. This is certainly something that we would do again following the success of the trip.

The Evening Standard wrote a feature about the clean up with interviews given by Dragon Hall young people…

“But moments later we bumped into young people who are doing everything they can to send out a more positive image. As I help youth group Covent Garden Dragon Hall Trust (aged 12-16) clean up broken glass, they explain why they are here today.

“It’s devastating,” says Sophie, 15. “Young people have been portrayed in such a negative way. I don’t want people looking at me as if I’m a criminal.”

Naomi, 16, another volunteer at Dragon Hall Trust, has been filming interviews all over London, finding out how the riots have affected locals. In Ealing they met Toby Young. Later they plan to take to the streets to speak to young people about their anger and disaffection.

Dragon Hall Trust’s senior youth worker, James Dellow, 38, says, “I guess one of the things we hope comes out of today is the realisation of the idea of the Big Society. What you have here is lots of people who have decided, off their own bats that their community is what’s important to them. It’s about people deciding for themselves – in a very organic way. We’ll have to wait and see if this translates itself into government policy but I’m really hopeful about what young people have shown me today. There’s been a real spirit of unity and togetherness.”

Everywhere the Blitz spirit was in evidence all day.”

It was surprisingly easy to find a group who wanted to take part in this, with lots of opinions on what could make Covent Garden & Holborn safer. However one idea needed to be chosen and in true democratic fashion they went for a photography and video project, called ‘Safer Spaces’.

The idea involves an intergenerational piece of work, mixing younger and older people, who take photos and video the areas where they feel safe/ unsafe. They hope to hold an exhibition at Covent Garden Community Centre to showcase the photos and also to produce a DVD, which can be sent out to local schools, educating people on how to stay safe and also how they can be aware of their impact on older people. Having secured £200 to run the project, they have brought in a film student from Greenwich Uni to support the work.

In June the group were invited to the SNAC Awards Ceremony in Kings Cross. This was very exciting for the group, as the ceremony was hosted by two of the stars of Waterloo Road. And their day got better, as they won the under 12s category and £1000 to boot.
So a really good project, a trophy and £1000. Well done to Alex, Shirley, Jay, Renee, Jessica, Cameron!!

Every Friday from 8pm to 10pm at Dragon Hall.

What is non contact boxing?
The first impression people have with this sport is they will have to get in the ring and hit people. In reality, that is not true. Some people, when they take up the sport, are indeed training to be boxers. However, there are a growing number of new people who are taking up the sport for the health related benefits. So, we need to get one thing perfectly clear. We are not going to EVER have to hit another person when we start our boxing training. And you NEVER get hit by another person. People will often ask you when you tell them you are starting to take boxing training, “Doesn’t it hurt when you get hit?” or “How do you protect yourself from being hurt?” You would tell them that you have no idea because you will never get hit by another person. Remember, you are taking boxing training for the physical and mental benefits they provide.

Who is the Trainer? Jason ‘Method man’ Matthews turned pro in 1995 and won the WBO intercontinental Championship, Commonwealth championship and finally the WBO middleweight title on June 17, 1999 with a victory against Ryan Rhodes.
Jason is now working as a street warden for Camden Council.

When and where? The training will be taking place at Dragon hall in the main hall from 8pm – 10pm every Friday. NB- Training starts again in Feb 2011.
Other Information: During these sessions there will be youth workers on site at all times.

‘We had our first session on Friday 26th February. This was well attended with a mixture of young people drawn from across Camden. Jason put the group through its paces, giving the participants new skills knowledge and understanding. The group is excited about the next stage and cannot wait to attend next week.’ Junel

Funded by Camden Street Wardens, Dragon Hall

So, of course, we said YES!

These young men then set about finding someone who could teach them how to do this, coming across a Different Drum Productions. We approached Victoria Coker, their director and she was really keen to help out.

We now have two groups who are putting their ideas into reality. They have learnt about story boarding, editing, cameras and acting. In 2011 they will begin filming their work, so watch this space for regular updates.

If you fancy yourself as the next Steven Spielberg, then here is the info you need:

Where: Purple Room

When: Fridays between 5 and 7pm

How much: Free

What you need: An idea and an imagination

It started off with a group of five 12 to 14 year olds, who were desperate to play in a football competition. Word quickly spread and we ended up with 15 young people, entering two teams in London Youth’s Annual Football Competition. Taking place in November both teams acquitted themselves with distinction against boys 2 years older than them.

Below is a clip of the team in action (they are the small ones in white!!!):

In the beginning, training took place at the Swing Gardens in Westminster. However the boys wanted to play on a full pitch, so this has moved to St Mary’s and St Pancras School. Bring kit, Oyster and a drink with you.

So if you are aged 11 to 14, please come and join us.

Coaches and youth workers in charge:
Nicholas Crivello and Junel Ahmed

Additional Info:

Following the success of the under-14 team, we also hope to start running an under-11s team in 2011, so get in touch if you want to join….

Contact us
Phone number; 020 7404 7274
General enquiries: nick@dragonhall.org.uk , junel@dragonhall.org.uk

Showing at the Aldwich Theatre our young people met up with other groups who are also part of the programme. For some this was the first time they had been into a theatre to see a show. Many of the young people who attend the Dragon Hall Youth Club live in the Covent Garden and Holborn area – a very short walk to the West End and numerous theatres – however most had never been to see a West End show.

They all loved ‘Dirty Dancing’ and had a fantastic time – here are a few pictures of the trip…

[Show as slideshow]

[View with PicLens]