Hi everyone!

I hope you're having a great summer and a well deserved break.  This is a special email to give you some information about KEEN London.  If any of you are moving to London, KEEN London is a great way to continue volunteering with children and young people with special needs! 

Hi everyone!

Welcome to the last KEEN Review of the year!  We've got a brilliant last week lined up, which got off to an excellent start last night with the GrEAT end-of-year ball.  Thanks to everyone who came along, especially those of you that got dressed up.  There were an impressive number of guys in black tie!  As this is my last ever KEEN Review (sob) I'd like to thank every volunteer who's been along to KEEN this year, you've all been fantastic!  I can also reveal that the new KEEN co-ordinator for 2009 to 2010 will be Kate Sankey!  I'm sure lots of you already know Kate as she's session lead both Zig-Zag and KEEN Teens this year, and been to lots of AllSorts and GrEAT session too.  I'm sure Kate will do an amazing job, and hopefully KEEN's 22nd year will be even better than its 21st! 

The main event of the week has to be the KEEN OLYMPICS on Saturday.  The KEEN Olympics are the biggest event of the year so we need as many volunteers as possible, so if you can come along and drag your friends with you!   As it's such a big event you need to turn up a bit earlier than usual at 1.45pm.  There's also a post-Olympics social in Copa.  If you want to have a meal at the volunteer social you must let me know your meal preference by midday tomorrow (Wednesday) so that Copa can order in enough food. 

Hi everyone,

It's drawing close to the end of term, but that doesn't mean we haven't got lots in store at KEEN.  In fact, we've got a really exciting couple of weeks coming up, with two exciting end-of-term parties for KEEN Teens and GrEAT, not one but two volunteer socials, and of course, the grand finale to the whole year, the KEEN Olympics.  We need as many volunteers as possible for the KEEN Olympics, so bring along all your friends!  There's also the post-Olympics party to look forward to.  This year we're going for a sit down meal in Copa, so if you want to come you'll need to tell me your meal choice by next Tuesday (16th). 

Hi everyone,

Unfortunately due to the bad weather conditions AllSorts has had to be cancelled today.  Fingers crossed there's better weather next week!

Hi everyone,

Thank you to everyone who turned up for the KEEN Treasure Hunt on Saturday, especially to Chris who stood in as Aladdin at the last minute and did an excellent job.  We were lucky to have amazing weather, brilliant session leaders, more athletes than usual and even enough volunteers!  If you're a Brookes student and you've already left Oxford, or if you're an Oxford student and you're about to leave Oxford at the end of this term, sign up for the KEEN Alumni Review!  It means that you can keep in touch with everything that's going on at KEEN, but only be updated every term instead of every week.  We've also been invited to watch the Anjali dance performance on Wednesday 10th June, which many of the athletes are performing in.  If you'd like to come, read on!  If you want stash (free KEEN T-shirts and hoodies) this is your last chance to order for the end of term.  You need to let me know by midday tomorrow (Wednesday) if you want to order!  We've been given some Charity Paintball tickets which you can get your hands on for a minimum donation of £50.

Well done to Mike and Chris, who ran the Stockholm marathon in aid of KEEN in an amazing 4 hours and 32 minutes in 27 degree heat!  They've already raised an astounding £1 700, but to help them raise even more check out their JustGiving page - http://www.justgiving.com/chrisandmike.  It's only a few clicks!

Finally I'm sorry to report that we have had to ban Michael, an athlete that many of you will know from AllSorts and KEEN Teens, from coming to sessions for the rest of term.  Unfortunately his behaviour deteriorated over the past couple of weeks and I have come to the decision, along with the KEEN trustees, that he cannot come to sessions for the rest of term.  I would like to apologise again to any volunteers who were hurt by Michael during sessions; we do not expect volunteers to be subjected to violence from any of the athletes under any circumstances, and I sincerely hope that it won't happen again. 

On a happier note, here's all the information about the sessions this week!

Hi everyone, 

This is just a quick message to say that we really need a couple more volunteers for the trip to Thomley Hall tomorrow.  It should be really fun.  The activity centre has loads of different things for the athletes to have a go at ranging from adventure activities to crafts.  We're meeing at 9.30am at the Ice Rink Car Park on Oxpens Road and will be back at 4pm.  You'll need to bring a packed lunch.  If you would like to come please email keen@herald.ox.ac.uk or call/text 07847 110371 to let me know and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.

Hi everyone,

I hope you're all enjoying the good weather and not getting sunburn!   Good luck to anyone who's in the middle of/about to start exams or still revising. 

We've got a really fun week coming up with some great half-term activities and the Aladdin-themed KEEN Treasure Hunt on Saturday.  We REALLY need more volunteers for the Boundary Brook Nature Park visit TOMORROW and the Thomley Hall daytrip on Thursday.  If you can come, let me know! 

We're hoping to be outside with KEEN Teens on Friday for some outdoor games (they'll be indoor games if the weather's bad!), so we really need as many volunteers as possible because all the athletes need to be paired up. 

Don't forget that KEEN is one of the charities being sponsored by RAG this year, so check out the upcoming RAG events over the next couple of weeks and help raise some money for KEEN!

Hi everyone,

This is just a quick note about a concert to be held this Sunday, for which some of the proceeds will go towards KEEN.

Sphere concert in aid of KEEN
Sunday 24th May
Keble's O'Reilly Theatre
7.30pm
Tickets £7, consessions £5

Sphere aims to promote community cohesion throughout and between institutions and the wider society and brings you its inaugural concert - SYNTHESIS!

An evening of dance and musical performances from selected countries around the world, Synthesis will give you the opportunity to sample the similarities and differences between cultures worldwide.

Introducing an acclaimed performance of Latin-Ballroom Dancing from the O.U.D.C alongside the subtleties of traditional Indian Dancing. Enjoy the MC genius that is DJ Silecta from the Youth Development Project with the slender moves from the Salsa Society. Throw in to this mix, two of the hottest student bands outside of Oxford (Delta Rush and Alternude) performing here for the first time, strumming their own songs as well as giving a new spin to your favourites.

That's enough? No way! Also presenting the legendary sounds of the world-renowned OXFORD GARGOYLES! Promising truly stunning renditions of a diverse range of songs, this is sure to be the perfect ending to a fantastic evening's entertainment! 

Synthesis promises to be a thoroughly entertaining evening and a great way to spend your Sunday evening! Check out some great performances, offer worthwhile support to charity and get a taste of what's going on around the world.

Get your tickets now!

50% of money raised goes towards KEEN and Encompasa

Hi everyone,

    Thanks to everyone who made it along to the sessions last week.  We've had a brilliant time at GrEAT both last week at the Stingray club night and last night with the scavenger hunt and SpecialEffects Roadshow bringing along their fantastic adapted computer games for a closely-contested competition.  Zig-Zag was fantastic with an excellent French themed session from St Clare's girls, as was the KEEN Teens quiz.  Despite the gloomy forecasts the weather held out for AllSorts at the weekend for a brilliant session with women's football team.

   We still really need more volunteers for the drama workshop which is running TONIGHT from 5pm to 6pm in the St Clement's Family Centre.  If you'd like to come please let me know you're coming by emailing keen@herald.ox.ac.uk.  There are also lots of half term activities planned for next week, so if you fancy coming to see a play at the Oxford Playhouse, visit a nature park or go to an activity centre for a day read on!  If you'd like to come to any of the half term activities, you need to let me know beforehand that you're coming by emailing keen@herald.ox.ac.uk.

Hi everyone,

This is just a quick note to let everyone know that AllSorts will still be on today, despite the weather not being great.  It looks as though it will be windy and there may be some light showers, so don't forget to wear warm clothes and bring a coat.

We also have a potential donor coming to watch the older session (3.40pm to 5pm) today, so please try to come along if you can and, even better bring a friend.  Hopefully the more volunteers we have the more smoothly the session will run and the more likely we will be to get the funding!  Don't forget that all new volunteers get a free drink...

If you've not been before the sessions run from 1.55pm to 5pm on New College Sports Ground.  If you'd like to have a look at a map click on the following link: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&;;source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&;q=New+College+Sports+Ground&sll=51.750773,-1.263964&sspn=0.00801,0.022659&ie=UTF8&ll=51.757853,-1.255767&spn=0.008009,0.022659&z=16&iwloc=A
 

Hi guys,

Firstly I'd like to say huge thank you to everyone who came on the Legoland daytrip at the weekend!  To give you an idea of how much the athletes enjoyed the day, here's what Rhodri's mum said: "thank you for taking Rhodri to Legoland.  He obviously had a fantastic day, and got to go on all his favourite rides.  Not only did it give Rhodri a great day out, but it also gave the rest of the family a day off as well. We really do appreciate what you do."

 

    As some of you may know, Jamie Remedios has been on dialysis waiting for a kidney transplant for some time now.  Just over a week ago a donor kidney became available and he had a transplant at Great Ormond Street hospital in London.  Unfortunately the transplant wasn't successful, but the main thing is that Jamie is alright.  Obviously he has been under major surgery, and he won't be coming back to KEEN until at least the end of term. I will be bringing a card along to sessions this weekend, so that everyone who knows Jamie can send him a good luck message.

Hi everyone,

The KEEN Summer Daytrip to Legoland is THIS SATURDAY!  We still really need more volunteers, so if you can come please let me know.  It should be a really fun day, and even the weather is looking pretty good!  Don't forget that this means that there's no AllSorts this saturday.  Sessions will continue as usual the next Saturday.

Also, don't forget about the excellent training sessions coming up this week.  Very few people have said that they're coming, which is a real shame because they will teach us valuable skills to make KEEN sessions even better than they are already, and they are all run by brilliant trainers.  So if you've got the time, please, please, please come along to the training sessions this week, especially the sports training session THIS AFTERNOON from 3pm to 5pm at OXSRAD Leisure Centre.  Tim can drive a couple of people from Wycliffe Hall, so if you want a lift let me know and I'll give you all the details.

Also, if you're going to GrEAT next week, it's on TUESDAY (not Monday) at Bar Risa!

Hi everyone,

The sessions kicked off to a brilliant start with the GrEAT science experiments on Monday.  We've got some great sessions planned for the coming week, including the start of term ice skating session, the first outdoors Allsorts and a GrEAT pub quiz.  We've also got a week full of three excellent training sessions next week, including a sports session, a moving and handling session and a drama workshop.  The training sessions should be really good, so it would be excellent to see as many of you attending as possible.  If you are thinking of coming to any of the training sessions, please let me know at keen@herald.ox.ac.uk so that I can get an idea of numbers (don't worry if you forget to email beforehand, you're still welcome to come!).

Hi everyone,

The start of the KEEN term is nearly upon us!  The regular sessions will be starting next week.  There will also be planning meetings next week, so if you're interested in helping to run Zig-Zag, KEEN Teens or AllSorts read on for all the details.  We also need lots more volunteers for the daytrip to Legoland in a couple of week's time, so if you haven't done so yet, please sign up!

Hi everyone,

I hope you all had a brilliant Easter holiday.  The regular KEEN sessions will be starting next week.  If you're interested in running one of the sessions this term read the section below to find out how to get involved.  I'm also pleased to announce that our summer daytrip will be to Legoland in a few weeks time, so if you're free please sigh up!  In other news this week, there are a couple of events at Brookes - a bake sale tomorrow and the student awards night on Saturday.  And last but not least, Mike and Chris are running the Stockholm Marathon, so read on to see how you can sponsor them.

Hi everyone,

Due to the popularity of the GrEAT daytrip, we still need more volunteers.  The daytrip will take place on Sunday 19th April.  We're leaving at 10am and hope to arrive back in Oxford for 8.30pm.  We'll be visiting Trafalgar Square and Covent Garden when we arrive in London and then going to see a matinee performance of the Lion King at the Lyceum theatre in the afternoon.  If you want to come let me know by emailing keen@herald.ox.ac.uk.  I'm away on holiday from today until 17th April, so if you want to come I'll confirm whether or not you have a place, and if you do I'll send you all the information, on Friday 17th April.

I hope you all have a great Easter and I look forward to seeing you after the break.

Calling all Brookes students!

KEEN has been nominated as best development society at the upcoming Students' union awards night (Saturday 25th April).

If you would like to vote for KEEN to win (and you know you would!) you can vote online at : http://www.thesu.com/content/index.php?page=23191

Fingers crossed for a win!

Also if anyone is interested in being involved with the KEEN Oxford Brookes society next year, then get in touch - it would be great to hear from you!  If you're a Brookes student and you haven't already filled in a society form remind me at your next session and you can fill one in - it literally takes a minute.

Hi guys,

I hope you're all enjoying winding down for Easter (good luck to anyone who's finishing off their projects!).  This email is just to update you on some athlete news.  Don't forget that if you're in Oxford over the holidays and want to be kept informed about the holiday activities send me an email to keen@herald.ox.ac.uk and I'll put you on the KEEN Easter holiday mailing list.

 

Hi everyone,

How else could I start this email other than with a big thank you to everyone who came on the daytrip?!  The athletes had a brilliant time, all thanks to their excellent coaches!

GrEAT may have finished for the term, but we've still got the last Zig-Zag, KEEN Teens, and AllSorts sessions to go this weekend.  There are also going to be some holiday activities over the long Easter break, so if you want to know what's going on sign up to the Easter holiday mailing list and I'll keep you posted (email me at keen@herald.ox.ac.uk).

Hi guys,

We still REALLY need more volunteers for the daytrip tomorrow, so if you're available please do sign up.  It should be really good fun, and we'll be back by 6pm (we're hoping to get back at 5.30pm), so you've got the whole of the evening free.  If you want more information before deciding whether to sign up email me at keen@herald.ox.ac.uk

If you've signed up but haven't received an email from me with all the information about the day, please email me to let me know so that I can send it to you.  I've been having problems sending it to everyone.  If you want to sign up for the meal afterwards, tomorrow's the last day left when you can let Rachel know your meal preference (rach_dryer@hotmail.com or 07834981514) - check out the facebook group for the choices.