Generation Go Comes to Stalham High School SRB
1 year ago
On Monday 15th April, Konectbus delivered a Generation Go workshop to a group of students from Years 7-11 at Stalham High School's Specialist Resource Base for children with Autism. When asked whether they had much experience using the bus, many of the students involved expressed reluctance to do so due to the social contact involved. While many people enjoy the social interaction offered by the bus, increasing the confidence of those who are more apprehensive about interaction with unfamiliar people or surroundings is one of the objectives of Generation Go as an educational project.
Regardless of the children's uncertainty towards using the bus, the participants thoroughly engaged with the presentation and following journey-planning activities. They began to think about the practical elements of using public transport, for example, arriving at the stop 5 minutes before the scheduled departure time of the bus, as well as the resources they would use to plan journeys in advance of college or work experience placements.
Despite the children's reluctance to use public transport in general, several of them expressed enthusiasm about their complimentary ticket, indicating that this would incentivise them to give the bus a go. Student feedback included: 'The lady was kind [...] and I'm grateful for my free ticket!' and 'This morning the talk we had with the bus lady was very informative and friendly'.
The members of staff involved in the workshop also got stuck into the activities whilst helping the children. One said: 'This morning Katherine came in to do a talk with the children about using buses and helped them understand how this works. The presentation was easy to understand and really interesting, informative and Katherine made it fun too. Engaging children after having a few weeks off on a Monday morning is no easy task!'
We are really pleased that this workshop was useful for both students and staff alike, and particularly for those who may struggle with social interaction. This makes it all the more important for these students to feel confident and prepared prior to travelling independently.