Students 'FLex' their Heart Muscle

YOUNG LEARNERS across South Devon have been showing their caring nature by presenting children at Torbay Hospital’s Louisa Carey Ward with special presents.

Learners at the South Devon Skills academy in Newton Abbot, and South Devon College’s Foundation Learning Excellence (FLex) in Torre, Torquay, recently clubbed together to raise funds for a young enterprise project. They designed, created and sold handmade cards, even making the envelopes, and used the money raised to buy the children in the ward special presents to cheer them up. The group even designed extra colouring and activity booklets for the children to make use of while they were there.

The young people that attend courses at these centres are those not in employment, education or training (NEETs) and as a result, inspiring them to take part in projects can be difficult, but not in this case, according to Newton Abbot’s South Devon Skills Academy lecturer Melissa Andrews.

“The learners spent a lot of time and effort making the cards to a professional standard and selling them,” said Melissa, “They really do feel inspired and have come to value that in order to be successful in business it takes commitment and dedication and that business opportunities can begin and lie within themselves.”

“When we went onto the ward we were greeted by staff, who showed great appreciation for what we have done,” said Newton Abbot FLex learner Kez Conway (17, from Plymouth), “I feel really proud for achieving and completing the young enterprise unit like this and really appreciate that I got the opportunity to do this.”

“This is by far the one activity at FLex that means the most to the young people, and makes me the proudest as a tutor,” said Nick Slater, FLex Trainer Facilitator & Community Coordinator in Torre, Torquay, “The whole visit makes them feel very humble and is incredibly heart warming. My theory is that as disengaged teenagers, they are always being helped and supported and worthwhile projects like this empower them to feel the role is reversed. They are put in a position to give something of themselves to support children not as fortunate as them for the day.”

The students were introduced to the children and shown around the ward, giving out lots of presents.