Every child has the right to lead a healthy life, to enjoy the company of others and to learn new things. This is what our Energise holiday camps, now in their third and final year of funding, give to the children of Luton.
The scheme has become a crucial part of the holiday routine for thousands of families around Luton, as it provides activity, learning and nutritious food through the summer and at Christmas time. It aims to support the roughly 10,000 under-16s who are eligible for income-related free school meals. Food poverty and social exclusion can affect children during school holidays, and the Energise scheme insulates children from these risks.
This article highlights the importance of the scheme and celebrates the positive impact it has made over the last three years.
Activities and offerings
The Energise scheme is remarkable for the sheer diversity of activities on offer. Kids have been able to build confidence, make friends and have fun during sporting activities such as swimming, football and cricket. Lots more have explored their creative side and discovered new talents in drama, dance, arts and crafts and even filmmaking.
The camps have provided an opportunity for children to experience things they otherwise might never have tried, and some have included special themed activities and memorable trips. For example, we had almost 600 visits from kids of all ages to our arts and crafts sessions at Lewsey Library alone.
The long-term relationships we have cultivated with our suppliers means they have been able to improve their offering and incorporate new activities and meals over the course of the scheme.
Community engagement and partnerships
We couldn’t run the Energise camps without the strong relationships we have built over the years with over 50 suppliers. These include community partners, faith organisations and educational settings. Through these partnerships, we’ve been able to build bridges between different communities in Luton and promote cohesion through all the different activities. A particular highlight was the Ramadan-themed camp through the Easter holidays. It welcomed families from all backgrounds and helped them to integrate and learn from each other.
The camps have also served as a gateway to more targeted interventions in certain areas where there was greater need. These include dental workshops from LBC’s Public Health Team and hygiene pack distribution by the Hygiene Bank, as well as collaborations with organisations such as Food Bank, Level Trust and Salvation Army.
Impact and Outcomes
In 2023/24, the programme provided 6,536 holiday camp places, 6,139 of which were by children on free school meals. Additionally, 15% of children who attended the camps had special educational needs, giving children from all backgrounds the chance to enjoy activity through the holidays. This high level of engagement has seen Luton in the top five highest-reach areas out of 32 in the Southeast and East cluster, and our model was recognised as being effective by managers from the Department of Education.
Each of the thousands of children involved would have benefited in their own way, but one great example of Energise’s impact is the story of Andres 25 and his brother Juan, 14 (names have been changed), who came to the UK from Colombia. Juan did not speak English and was very withdrawn and physically weak. Through the Children in Need project, Juan was introduced to the Energise Luton holiday camps with the aim of providing social connections and improving his health over the summer. He took part in football and dance workshops over the summer, while Andres was given a gym pass and looked after by Active Luton team members, support which helped them to integrate and improve their wellbeing.
Importance of Energise Luton
The camps are a precious lifeline for so many families during the school holidays. They bring joy to so many and help to bring together people from all parts of Luton’s wonderfully diverse community. Delivering the camps alongside our many partners is a privilege and something we have worked incredibly hard to improve every year. And we continue our work to ensure that we can keep delivering this vital service for many more years. We will keep the people of Luton in the know as we approach our funding renewal with the new government.
But for now, our focus turns towards organising our Energise Luton camps for Christmas 2024, which we’re sure will be our best yet!