More than 20,000 children across England will be involved in education and
sporting activities this summer and next. The scheme is providing summer
camps for 11 to 17 year olds across 23 sites, one of which will be visited
today by Schools Minister Andrew Adonis.

The scheme is paid for by the Big Lottery Fund and offers activities such as
football, rugby, rock climbing, water sports, media, dance and music for all
children, including many from disadvantaged backgrounds. The Minister will
visit Hampstead Heath in London where youngsters are taking part in a ‘Do it
4 Real’ Music and Drama course, to find out more about the types of
activities that are available to young people.

The camps are in line with the thinking in the Youth Green Paper, published
by the Department for Education and Skills last week. It called for more
places for young people and for more activities for them to do. Stephen
Dunmore, Chief Executive of the Big Lottery Fund, said they were happy to be
funding the national roll out of Do It 4 Real after a successful pilot
scheme.

“With YHA as our delivery partner, Do It 4 Real gives structure to young
people’s holidays and helps them to learn through activities and adventures,
gaining confidence and tackling social exclusion in the process,” he said.
Those outcomes, he said, made Do It 4 Real a valuable part of the Young
People’s Fund, the 200 million pound programme launched last year to support
projects helping young people to stay safe and healthy and to contribute to
their communities as well as overcoming economic disadvantage.