Kidz Klub Strathearn 2011 © All rights reserved.
A POPULAR new club has been launched for the children of Strathearn.
Currently being held in Auchterarder's Finlayson Hall, it is hoped that "Kidz Klub" will eventually be a weekly attraction for youngsters from across the Strath.
The initiative has come to the area thanks to one man's passionate dream. For seven year's Euan Brander, who has recently moved from Dunning to Comrie with his wife Liz, has been working towards achieving this goal.
"Children don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care," Euan explained.
“Aimed at five to 11 year olds, Kidz Klub Strathearn allows children to have fun in a safe environment while also teaching them some good moral principles.
"We create an atmosphere where the children who attend the club sing together and play messy games, this interaction helps to develop their social skills.
"The final part of the programe is where we teach a simple lesson. “Our aim is only to convey one point, but we do it in a number of different ways to aid learning.
“The message is often dramatised and teaches them character building Christian morals. Here they learn listening skills and during the event their attentiveness is checked by asking questions. It is very lively but at all times the children are amazingly well behaved.”
Euan explained that Kidz Klub is very much a team effort and, with volunteer workers coming from all spheres of the community, he believes it is a humbling position to be in.
He said: “We encourage teens to become young workers and it is the dedication of each and every individual, often sacrificially, that makes Kidz Klub so popular, and with workers taking a turn to lead from the stage, there is never a dull moment.
“As well as having a whole lot of fun throughout the evening, the programme teaches the youngsters how to respect one another, how to be kind, loving and appreciative.”
Speaking after a session in the Finlayson Hall, one parent commented: “I don't think I have ever been in a room with over 30 children where they were so connected and well behaved.”
The next few Kidz Klub events (dates on the web) will take place in Auchterarder, but the hall is set to close in May and Euan is currently looking for a new base.
“One of the key elements of other Kidz Klubs across the country is that the children are bussed in from various outlying areas to a central location,. However the cost is not small,” said Euan. “It is only because individuals, local businesses and different churches have supported Kidz Klub that we have come this far.
“We are grateful to the many people who helped in various ways to get us started such as Stewart’s Building Services, Sinclair Cycles and one of the larger local hotels.
“We are also grateful to Docherty’s who have offered us a generous discount should we go down the route of bussing children.
“However, even a few buses would cost hundreds of pounds a week and if we are to see even more smiling faces pour into the venue, then more generous support in terms of finances and more volunteers are required.
“We have major challenges ahead of us and we are now making every effort to secure a hall that is available when we need it and big enough to cater for expansion.”
Another element of Kidz Klub is that the volunteers make regular home visits to the children to help build friendships and display positive role models and this has already been well received.
The team, who are police checked and trained in child protection, would like to invite any child to come and join Kidz Klub Strathearn at their next meeting on Monday, March 17 from 6.30pm to 8pm in the Finlayson Hall, Auchterarder.
A Registration and Consent Form can be found at KidzKlubStrathearn.org. If you would like to know more about Kidz Klub Strathearn, please contact Euan Brander preferably by emailing via the web site or by calling him on 07734 298 294.
