Derry~Londonderry Heroes Project YMCA

Today our group visited Northland road fire station! We got to see all the different vehicles and all the equipment inside them. We were very lucky that day as we got a ride in the fire trucks and got to use the hoses! A big thank you to everyone at the station, our young people loved the experience!

Today our group went to Strand road Police Station for a visit! We learnt about what they do in our neighbourhood and got to try out some of their gear.  We even got to see the different vehicles they use, including the very important bicycles! It was a really informative day and everyone learnt a lot whilst also having fun.

Today we went on a trip to Lock N Load for a game of Nerf Wars! All the young people were kitted out with protective masks and guns and split into two teams. Everyone had loads of fun getting to shoot each other and especially the HEROES staff!  Shout out to Dale who did a terrific job keeping HEROES worker Catherine safe! 

Today we learnt about Stereotypes, the idea or belief people have about a thing or group that is based upon how they look on the outside, which may be untrue or only partly true.  The main activity was a life raft scenario where we had 4 seats left on our raft and we had 10 people left to save. The group only knew limited information about the people they could save so they were forced to be prejudiced and stereotype people. Once the final four were chosen it was time to see who they had saved and who they did not. The four people that were saved were Luis Suarez, Demi Lovato, Khloe Kardashian and Kim Jong Un! Some of the people that weren't saved included Dwayne Johnson, Justin Bieber and Prince Harry!

Today we had a guest facilitator in to tell us all about Chinese culture as it is Chinese New Year at the weekend. We learnt some facts about China, and got to try out some traditional Chinese activities like handkerchief spinning and using chopsticks. Some of the group tried on some authentic Chinese clothes and we must say they looked fabulous!  To finish the session off we had some curry and rice.

Today as part of HEROES kitchen we made cupcakes! The group split in two, with one half making chocolate cupcakes and one making vanilla cupcakes. We learnt today that it is always important to check our ovens are at the right setting, as we accidentally cooked the cupcakes under the grill for about 10 minutes!

Today we had a workshop at the YMCA with Bronagh from the Woodland trust. We made our own birdhouses, hammering nails into pieces of wood to make a home for the birds. These birdhouses will be placed in some of the local forests to make a home for our wildlife. We also helped Bronagh by planting some oak tree seedlings into planting trees. Some day these seedlings we planted will be big oak trees in our forests!