Summer holidays: family support, activities, and youth clubs

There are lots of different organisations offering support, information, and activities over the summer. Availability and requirements are dependent on the individual organisation.

Find out more about:

Family Information Service

FIS offer a range of services such as:

  • information
  • advice
  • guidance around childcare
  • leisure activities
  • family services
  • health
  • parenting support
  • guidance
  • welfare assistance.

Found out more on the Medway FIS directory page.

Medway children and family hubs

Children and family hubs and wellbeing centres offer families with children places to meet new people.

They help children get the best start in life and help parents get the support and advice they need.

Medway children and family hubs timetable.

Medway Youth

Medway Youth offer a range of different services for young people across Medway. Most bookable activities are now full, but park-based activities are open to all.

These activities are not intended as childcare. Parents should only leave young people if they feel they can be trusted to stay with us or are happy for the children to leave when they wish.

Find out about the youth summer activities.

Club Ausome

Club Ausome is a charity for children from birth to age 18 with additional needs and their families.

They offer:

  • weekly youth clubs
  • fortnightly activity sessions
  • parent/carer breakfast meet ups
  • coffee mornings and information
  • advice and support if needed.

Find out more about Club Ausome.

Strengthening Minds/Moat Foundation Hubs

As part of the Moat Foundation Communities Project, Strengthening Minds is developing partnerships and activities across its 4 hubs. The hubs are based in:

  • Gillingham
  • Gravesend
  • Sittingbourne
  • Ashford. 

Activities

Activities take place on different days at different hubs:

Activity times:

  • 4pm to 5.30pm for children aged 8 to 12
  • 6pm to 7.30pm for children aged 12 to 16.

There are also extra activities in August at the Gillingham hub:

  • Thursdays, 5:30pm to 6:30pm: olympia boxing sessions for 8 years old and above
  • Fridays, 10am to 11.30am: arts and crafts for 8 to 12 year olds
  • Fridays, 12pm to 1.30pm: come dine with me for 12 to 16 year olds.

Hubs

Gillingham

Gravesend

Sittingbourne

Ashford

To find out more you can:

Strengthening Minds Twitter Page

Strengthening Minds website

Kooth parent/carer webinars

Kooth is a free, safe and anonymous place for young people to find support and counselling. They run specialist sessions to help parents and carers understand how Kooth can help their children and young people.

Kooth recently launched their monthly parent and carer information sessions in April and July 2021. They have now extended this to run in August.

Bitesize sessions

Kooth are also running shorter sessions on Zoom for parents and carers that will include:

  • a live tour of the Kooth site
  • an opportunity to ask questions.

Dates and times

Monday 16 August, 12pm to 12.30pm:

Wednesday 20 October, 12pm to 12.30pm:

One hour sessions

Kooth are also running longer, more in-depth sessions that will cover:

  • a presentation on Kooth (which offers support for having a conversation with children and young people about how they are feeling)
  • a live tour of the Kooth site
  • an opportunity for questions and answers about Kooth.

Dates and times

Thursday 23 September 6pm to 7pm:

If you have any questions about any of the webinars or would like more information on how Kooth can be shared with young people, email kdawber@kooth.com.

Medway African and Caribbean Association (MACA)

MACA are offering free dance and martial arts workshops for young people from 7 to 20 years old. 

Sessions start on 12 August 2021.

Dance workshops

The MACA dance workshops are led by acclaimed tutor Sherisse Basram from the Brit school. Children and young people can choose from different styles of dance including:

  • hip-hop
  • modern dance
  • other styles from around the world.

Martial arts programme

The martial arts programme will be an introduction to the art of Taekwon-do. The workshops will be running until March 2022. 

Renowned instructor David Harper will teach classes. David Harper is a 6 dan black belt in the art of Taekwon-do. 

These 2 workshop programmes aim to:

  • build confidence
  • build physical and mental ability
  • bring children and young people together.

Spaces are limited. To book your space and find out more, visit the MACA website.

Medway Culture Club

Medway Culture Club will be bringing carnival vibes to Medway with a free family fun day at the Woodlands Youth Centre in Gillingham. 

They will be exploring the traditions of Notting Hill Carnival which was first held in 1959.

Notting Hill Carnival is now the largest street festival in Europe.

Medway Culture Club are going to be displaying some of the culture and creativity on their family fun day.

Events being held on the family fun day include:

  • DJs including Mikey Ragga Reggae and Soca
  • Caribbean food, ice cream and refreshments
  • live music, drumming and dancing
  • face painting
  • carnival headdress making
  • limbo competition
  • arts and crafts.

Event information

  • location: Woodlands Youth Centre, Woodlands Road, Gillingham, Kent, ME7 2BX
  • date: Saturday 28 August 2021
  • times: 11am to 3pm.

To book a space you can:

Local offer information

If you have any questions, please visit the Medway's local offer page or send us an email: localoffer@medway.gov.uk.