My Pavilion, My Rules: The Fitzalan Challenge Days 2019

Community Gateway recently organised a series of Challenge Days for students from Fitzalan High School.

Over 20 students participated in various activities led by Dominika Matuisak and Andrea Drobna, Community Gateway’s summer researcher and student ambassador. During the day students were asked to discuss taking care of the Grangetown community and the Grange Pavilion, leading the students to propose five key rules on how to take care of the new space. Those rules were:

1. Don’t vandalize the space and equipment
2. Equality for everyone
3. Respect everyone
4. Participate in the activities available
5. Be eco-friendly

During the Challenge Day students were given the chance to feel like architects. They visited the Grange Pavilion construction site where Dr Mhairi McVicar and representatives from BECT Construction were there to explain the construction process and to answer any questions the students had about the new pavilion. They were then given a tour of the Welsh School of Architecture, and later that day, were asked to think of an activity that they would like to see take place in the Grange Pavilion. They then created drawings and collages showcasing their fantastic ideas.

The next day, the students travelled to the Channel View Leisure Centre. There, the discussions and activities were centered around taking care of the community and pavilion. The activities ranged from thinking about how they can care about others, their friends, and the spaces that they live in and use. The highlight of the day was a litter picking race that was prepared for the students to teach them about sorting waste.

Overall, this year’s activities were a massive success and we cannot wait to host the next Fitzalan Challenge Days!