KEEN students win inclusion award
14 Dec 09
The student-run charity KEEN has won one of the first Celebrating Inclusion Awards. The Oxfordshire award scheme recognises individuals and organisations that are model examples for including children and young people who are disabled or have special needs.
KEEN stands for Kids Enjoy Exercise Now and is run by Oxford University and Oxford Brookes University students, along with other young people from the local area. It provides sporting and recreational activities for Oxfordshire children and young adults with special needs.
Dr Nick Brown, KEEN senior member and senior tutor of Linacre College, Oxford, said: ‘We are hugely honoured to receive this award, particularly as we were nominated by the young people who come to KEEN. It recognises the fantastic effort made by our student volunteers and how much they are able to put back into the local community.’
The Celebrating Inclusion Awards are run by Aiming High, a project funded by the Department for Children, Schools and Families that aims to improve services for disabled children. The Awards Scheme rewards and encourages excellent examples of inclusion around the county.
Dr Nick BrownWe are hugely honoured to receive this award, particularly as we were nominated by the young people who come to KEEN.
KEEN won the ‘Family Fun Day Out’ award, being described as: ‘A place that you go with the rest of your family where you feel welcome and included, have a great time and look forward to going back.’
The registered charity offers activities to around 240 children and young adults aged from 5 to over 30. The students from Oxford University and Oxford Brookes provide support during the sessions. Because the students are often a similar age to those coming to KEEN events, it encourages peer support and friendship.
Activities include sports sessions, drama and crafts workshops, social clubs and a range of day trips and events throughout the year. KEEN works with a huge range of abilities, from mild learning difficulties to quadriplegia, Down's syndrome to autism.
By taking part in KEEN activities, many people gain confidence, pride, and a sense of belonging, as well as making great steps physically. The students become their friends as well as their coaches, and for often over-worked parents, KEEN provides a much-needed break, and all activities are free.