On 24th – 28th July 2017, the Parish of Old St Pancras took twenty young people from Camden on holiday to Little Canada on the Isle of Wight. This is a summer-camp set in the beautiful countryside of the Isle of Wight, with good access to the beach.
During our week, we enjoyed many different activities including abseiling, wall climbing,archery and canoeing. We also had trips out,
including building a bonfire on the beach and an educational trip to Osborne House, the former palace of Queen Victoria. We had team-building exercises and learned new skills, including how to build a shelter and start a fire if we ever got lost in the wildnerness. One afternoon we were stretched to the limits of our endurance by taking part in an obstable course, in which we had to crawl through mud on our hands and knees, climb blindfolded guided by the instruction of our team mates and make our way through pitch black tunnels under ground. Every day we played team sports such as football, and we also learned to develop our acting skills and use of a camera.
Each day ended with a time of reflection on the days experience, with hot chocolate and a story for the younger children. This was a time of the day where we could talk about what we had learned, and what the important high and low points were for us. It was a week for learning new things and making new friends. 
We want to say a big ‘thank you’ on behalf of all of our young people for allowing this holiday to take place. Many of our children are from disadvantaged backgrounds, and for many of them, this is the only holiday they have each year. For several of the children, this may be one of the rare times they ever leave London. The Youth Holiday thus represents an important time for young people, to learn more about themselves
and each other, and to experience a new place if only for a few days. It is of immense value to them, and we want to thank you for all you allow us to do.
In fact, the children really want to say ‘thank you’ themselves. If you go to the following link you will find a video made by our young people, in which they say ‘thank-you’ and let you know some the things they got up to in 2017.
With many thanks from staff and young people in the Parish of Old St Pancras.
http://posp.co.uk/children-young-people-2/posp-youth-holiday/
