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DD Charity Blog
A place for us to highlight the great work of charitable groups we are supporting with donations of DD Hammocks Gear each month. We are proud to be working with community engagement programs, mental health charities and more to provide equipment and easy access to the great outdoors for those in need.
DD Charity Update - February 2024
For the first DD Charity Blog Instalment of 2024 we're happy to say that we've already teamed up with two fantastic UK based organisations and donated 40 pieces of kit to help support their efforts to bring the true joy of nature to as many people as possible.
Rewilding Youth and My Own Time and Space, based in Hull and Essex respectively, focus on expanding the horizons of underprivileged young people in their local areas - thus helping them grow personally and emotionally, amongst other things.
Read on to find out more about Rewilding Youth and MyOtas!
Rewilding Youth, a Community Interest Company based in Hull, focuses it's efforts on bringing the joy and restorative benefits of nature and bushcrafting to urban youth who may not be able to access such facilities and oppertunities. We catch up with Ruby East, who explains more on the goals and projects that Rewilding Youth have turned their hand to:
"At Rewilding Youth, we work to build bridges and remove barriers between the young people of Hull and East Riding and the outdoors. Our focus is on developing a deep and meaningful connection and relationship between nature and disadvantaged, inner-city young people who otherwise may not have the opportunities or knowledge of the outdoor world to spend time within it.
Some of our tools for this include Wild Camps, Wild Walks, Bushcraft activities, Green Woodwork, Earth Building, Natural Craft workshops and Nature Connection activities. However, our most important tool is our team's approach, informed by youth work principles, voluntary engagement, and focusing on the empowerment and development of the young people we work with, igniting passion for the outdoors with ancestral, local and natural history and also informing our practice with Wild Pedagogy. However, our current work is not stationary and we are constantly striving to learn, consult and research with young people and local communities to create impactful and permanent change. Excitingly, we are currently in the beginning stages of our research project, funded by The Ideas Fund, in which we have introduced two Youth Researchers to the team who are exploring the barriers between young people and nature, and the ways in which we can most effectively break these down.
“At Omnia, we provide the fundamentals for self-development for young people who have been failed by a system which recognises and values academic achievement over creative or physical talents and abilities, young people who have missed the chance to find out who they are or what they’re good at because their skills and capabilities lie elsewhere.
The Omnia Foundation provides an environment in which our young learners can become themselves. We help them build that foundation for their future. Our unique approach to supporting self-development enables the young people to be heard, to exercise choice and in so doing to gain the confidence and self-assurance they need to become good people, able to make a valuable contribution to the community.”
My Own Time and Space (run by project coordiantor Alex Harding) is a charity built to support autistic, socially anxious and ADHD children, helping them to develop social skills and enjoy various outdoors pursuits with plenty of support.
“Our goal is to improve the lives of Neurodivergent (Autism, ADHD, Dyspraxia, Dyslexia, Sensory Processing Disorder, etc.) children and young people and their families by providing:
- Activities for children and young people
- Small group, inclusive activities for neurodivergent children, tailored to their particular needs, in a non-judgemental and low-pressure environment.
- Family Support
- Supporting you and your family to help your child by running support groups, hosting training events; providing of 1:1 support and signposting useful information
- Promoting Awareness and Acceptance
- By raising awareness of neurodiversity within the wider community.
We are delighted to offer the following activities which are delivered by experienced practitioners with support from the MyOTAS team, in a non-judgemental and low-pressure environment:
Woodland Warriors: For children ages 4 – 16, there is a wide range of activities from balancing and using core muscles on the tree swing, to climbing rope ladders and trees. They will develop problem solving skills, learn about the creatures and their interesting lives in the undergrowth and above the canopy, and there will be opportunities to make tools, learn how to safely make fire, and identify animal tracks. No two sessions are the same, with different activities each week.
Mindful Crafts: For children ages 7 – 16, you can create a beautifully decorated item each week, such as a mandala painted terracotta pot, a pen holder, keyring or coaster in a beautiful garden workshop. Enjoy relaxing crafting sessions, where you can get to create stunning items, chill out and chat with new friends.
Yoga: For those aged 6 – 18, these classes are specifically designed for children and young people suffering from anxiety. Children can use mindfulness techniques to learn how to regulate their breathing patterns, balance energy levels, remain calm, as well as relieve any physical and emotional tension, giving a greater sense of control over the mind and body.
By offering an inclusive and supportive environment within nature and by promoting mindfulness and development, our vision is to improve the lives of neurodivergent children and young people.”
We hope that with our donation of 20 pairs of DD Charity Edition Scout Hammocks and Tarps, the children, community and families that visit MyOtas will be able to enjoy the outdoors for many more years to come.
If you would like to find out more about My Time and Space, it's goals and all the services they offer, you can explore the MyOtas Website and Facebook page.
If you know of a charity, group or cause with a focus on the outdoors and a passion for helping those less fortunate get out into nature that would benefit from some free outdoor equipment plus a spot on the DD Charity Blog to showcase their work, we would love to hear from you!
Help us help others, and get involved by getting in touch with us via our DD Charity contact form.
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Vikki
A regular on the hiking trails of Northern Scotland, Vikki loves nothing more than being in the great outdoors. When she's not pulling on her hiking boots or trail shoes, this DD Team Member can often be spotted in the gym or curled up at home with a sketchpad and pencil.
DD Charity Update - February 2024
