Fair Shares Stonehouse
Exciting new developments are taking place in the very first time bank in Britain, set up by Fair Shares to pilot the highly acclaimed USA Time Dollars.
Julie Baxter, the Fair Shares Participants Co-ordinator has been conducting partnership work with a number of community groups, businesses, voluntary agencies and schools in the county. The focus of the work has been linked with active citizenship and the government's educational directives for Key Stage 3.
Maidenhill Secondary School, in Stonehouse, has joined Fair Shares as an Organisational Participant and selected a group of non-GCSE pupils to perform a variety of assignments as part of their accredited ASDAN vocational work experience. Tasks were undertaken with residents of an extra sheltered housing scheme in their neighbourhood. The help they provided included assistance with wheelchairs during trips to the shops, to which for one resident had not been for several months. Other pupils were involved in leaf clearance, writing Christmas cards, laundering cumbersome items and baking mince pies for a Christmas concert, which took place at the school. In recognition for the dedicated and responsible conduct performed by the young people the Everyman Theatre in Cheltenham donated Pantomime tickets. At the request of the young people themselves the Fair Shares they earned were donated back to the housing scheme and arrangements made for a summer trip for all those who took part on the pilot.
On the strength and success of the Maidenhill pilot Wycliffe College have joined the scheme and will be engaging on Fair Shares as a major part of a new GCSE in Community Citizenship. Older pupils will be taking part with a community service programme. Their work will commence from late September. The work will primarily focus on the prevalent needs for befriending and companionship in the town.
The Young Peoples Fair Shares and the schools involvement has proved so successful we will shortly be introducing the proven scheme to other secondary schools in our county.