END OF TERM CELEBRATIONS 15 July 2019
Thirty-three beneficiaries, including a few CYPS students, attended the End of Term festivities on 15 July 2019 to celebrate the successes of the academic year 2018 – 2019. There were also a few visitors from the the ‘Remakery’ organisation, who wanted to see Baytree in action with a view to working with us in future.
The day started with a video on COURAGE. This told the story of two young Syrian refugees who showed courage on escaping by sea and eventually settling in Germany, where they eventually became Olympic swimmers. There was a speech from one of our beneficiaries, Suly Betun Guzman, who plays for a women’s football team. She explained that being an athlete demands courage, and that a team is a family – adding that Baytree is also a family.
There followed games about trust, then group sessions during which the women talked about times when they had needed to show courage. Some of their accounts were deeply moving: war experiences, family tragedies and immense suffering. The group leaders rewarded the women with badges to commemorate their courage, determination and leadership. There were also gifts for them.
One of the highlights of the day followed: a surprise for Deeqo Abbas Hussein, who was presented with her first ever examination certificate: Entry 1 Speaking and Listening. Deeqo had been unable to pass her mock tests prior to the recent exam sessions; however, she performed very well in her Speaking and Listening exam subsequently, showing true courage and perseverance.
There folllowed three songs performed by the singing group, with audience participation. The songs were ‘Stand by me’, ‘Lean on me’ and ‘Feeling good’. After the singing session there was a shared lunch, then a repeat performance of the play, ‘The Journey’, about the women’s experience of being uprooted from their homes to make a new life in the UK. The day finished with another singing session, with staff and students performing spontaneously. The celebrations were hugely successful.
