﻿ A sense of belonging - Family Holiday Association

A sense of belonging

In August we teamed up with YHA to pilot Family Activity Camps. YHA donated the breaks to us, and we were able to give short breaks to groups of families at YHA Edale.

This is one family’s story…

Usama, Raha and their son have been in the UK for less than a year, after leaving Syria.

The Family Activity Break provided them with their first opportunity to explore the British countryside.

As a result, the couple and their son, Yusuf felt a sense of increased self-confidence about accessing the countryside independently.

The impact evidence suggests that this could encourage them to achieve a greater sense of belonging within British society and, with that, common understanding and an increased sense of responsibility.

The YHA Family Activity Camps helped Usama and Raha’s family achieve a sense of belonging through shared experiences – a huge step in being able to move forward with confidence and hope. Disconnected from the communities that shaped them, the break enabled the family to connect with a new community. ‘We made new friends’, they said.

The recreational time they had as a family and the time spent interacting with other families also helped them speak English better.

They felt that they had time to practice speaking the language, which helped them communicate better with others.

They also tried a lot of new activities, something which would be part of their enduring memories of their time at YHA Edale. Raha was keen to emphasise what she would remember the most, saying, ‘the view, the activity, climbing rocks. I did it for the first time.’

Summing up his happiness and how he felt about his time on his first family holiday in the UK since settling here, Usama said; ‘walking here is healthy, seeing nature, happy children. You throw your problems away and think about nice things.’

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Case study provided by YHA.

The YHA help transform young people’s lives through travel and adventure by providing places to stay and explore.