Member Event: Red Balloon Mid – Summer Ball

We are privileged to provide an alternative form of education in a newly-renovated building for young people no longer attending mainstream school due to difficult life experiences. Whilst school isn’t for everyone, a safe space to learn, develop our unique talents and become a valued member of a community should be. Here at Red Balloon Norwich, we know that when young people feel comfortable and connected within a calm learning environment they make better progress educationally and personally. With small class sizes, regular meetings with a mentor to discuss any concerns and even a cooked meal to share together each lunchtime, our young people gain a sense of belonging which re-engages them with their education. We value every opportunity to elevate student voice within the centre, and it is heart-warming to hear students speaking so positively about how Red Balloon has transformed their lives. At Red Balloon we judge success and progress for our students against their unique goals. It’s not about getting good grades, we want to see our students grow as individuals and develop the personal skills, social skills and confidence to make their way in the world. All Red Balloon Centres are based on the three key elements of -Wellbeing -Education -and Social re-engagement All students are given the opportunity to negotiate their curriculum. This means that teachers use topics that students are passionate about – eg horse riding, manga comics, paintball or car racing – and creatively linked them to the curricular subjects to rekindle their interest in learning. Over the course of their time with us, students progress from 1:1 sessions to small group sessions. 50% of our programme is dedicated to well-being support and therapy and students are offered a range of therapeutic support via their mentors. At the heart of our community is our big communal kitchen and dining room. Here, staff and students come together to eat, play games or just sit and chat. In order to support more students and grow we require further funding and support from businesses and the local community. Please do come along and find out more about us and support the future of the students coming through.