Young volunteers from Herts and Essex High School sing the praises of CHIPS
An East Herts charity which operates a special playscheme in Bishop's Stortford has three new volunteers from Herts and Essex High School in its ranks.
Mevna Bulathsinhala, Isabella Bradbury and Annabelle Clark, all Year 10 pupils at the Warwick Road secondary, started volunteering for CHIPS (Children’s Integrated Playschemes) as part of their Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.
On Saturdays, between 9.30am and 1pm, the trio help out at CHIPS’ Stortford playgroup, which meets at Richard Whittington Primary School in Thorley Park.
The charity lays on fun sessions for youngsters aged 3 to 19 with special educational needs. Their siblings are strongly encouraged to join in as the charity’s ethos is that all children should be able to play together.
It is a cause close to the heart of 15-year-old Mevna. She first found out about CHIPS through her younger sister Menthni, 12, who has ADHD.
As the sister of an SEN child, Mevna has an insight into what some of the children may be experiencing. “Sometimes the siblings do come, and I can definitely relate to them,” she said. “When I talk to some of them, I can understand what they’re going through.”
Around 10-12 SEN children attend each session. While the playschemes are run by professionals, they depend on the support of volunteers, who can be anyone aged 12 to 18.
Each week, Mevna and the other helpers are tasked with supervising the children without getting in the way of their play. “We’re sort of there as role models,” she said..
Alongside free play, CHIPS offer a wide variety of activities at its Saturday sessions, including baking, sports, messy play and arts and crafts.
Thanks to her training and her passion for volunteering, Mevna has revelled in her CHIPS role. “We work with a few non-verbal kids and that’s really interesting,” she said. “They can’t communicate and we have to guess what they need. But if they try to tell you something and you pick up on it, then it’s great. It’s really nice when I get to know the kids.”
While sometimes the CHIPS children might behave in a way that would confuse people without knowledge of SEN, the charity has equipped Mevna and her co-volunteers with skills to deal with this. “That all comes through in the training. We learn how to cater to that – it can be a challenge, but it’s good to learn how to manage that,” she said.
CHIPS was established 25 years ago in Hertford and introduced its Saturday playscheme in Bishop’s Stortford about five years later. A grant from BBC Children in Need nine years ago enabled it to introduce a three-week summer playscheme at Windhill21 Primary School.
Mevna thoroughly enjoys working with the CHIPS children and teenagers, and plans to carry on volunteering for the charity after her DofE placement comes to an end – and Menthni has expressed an interest in following in her big sister’s footsteps.
“I know it sounds really cheesy, but I like just seeing them happy,” said Mevna. “Seeing them smile and laugh despite what they’re going through...”
Mevna’s school friend, Isabella, also 15, has also thoroughly enjoyed her time with CHIPS. “It’s been really fun,” she said. “I’ve probably most enjoyed becoming more confident with younger children, especially those with disabilities.”
Like Mevna, she has found the work incredibly rewarding. “A lot of the children are really cute,” she said. “A lot of children with Down’s syndrome love to hug and cuddle and that’s really cute.”
* CHIPS is appealing for volunteers to help with its summer playscheme at Windhill 21 from Monday, July 29 to Friday, August 16. Additionally, it is looking for paid staff to work at its Richard Whittington playscheme on Saturday mornings. For further information, contact helen@chipsplay.org or visit www.chipsplay.org