Positive Futures with Bridgehall

On Wednesday 25th February we had the pleasure of delivering a Positive Futures Day at Bridgehall Primary School for all of their Year 5 and Year 6 pupils. The day was coordinated by PIE (Pursuing Individual Excellence) on behalf of the AdsBridge Youth Connection partnership, bringing together several local organisations to run a series of interactive workshops for the young people.

In total, 46 pupils took part in the full-day programme. The aim of the day was to give young people the chance to explore some really important topics – including friendships, community, making choices, staying safe online and thinking about their futures – while also helping them learn more about the organisations that support young people in their local area.

Throughout the day, pupils took part in four rotating workshops delivered by partners from PIE, RTIME, Talk Listen Change and Stockport County Community Trust. Each organisation brought something different to the day, creating a fun and engaging programme that encouraged both creativity and discussion.

The PIE workshop focused on dreaming big and thinking about the future. Pupils started by reflecting on their current strengths, interests and ambitions, before thinking about what they might want their future to look like. They then wrote letters to their future selves, describing who they are now and what they hope for in the years ahead. These letters will be returned to them when they finish Year 6, giving them a really special moment to look back and see how far they have come.

RTIME delivered a brilliant Lego workshop where pupils were asked to build what they would like to see in their community. This sparked some really thoughtful conversations about local spaces and what makes a community a great place to live. Many of the young people built houses, parks and community spaces, and it was clear they had lots of ideas about how their area could continue to grow and improve.

Talk Listen Change ran a session all about healthy and unhealthy relationships. Using ‘red flag’, ‘yellow flag’ and ‘green flag’ behaviours, pupils explored different friendship scenarios and discussed how they might respond in those situations. The session helped young people think about communication, boundaries and the importance of talking to trusted adults if something doesn’t feel right.

Stockport County Community Trust led a workshop on choices and consequences. Pupils explored how the decisions we make can lead to different outcomes and discussed how thinking before acting can make a big difference. One interesting moment from the session was when many pupils realised that consequences don’t always mean something negative – positive choices can lead to positive consequences too.

Alongside the partner workshops, local police officers delivered an additional session focusing on social media safety, online behaviour and anti-social behaviour. The pupils asked lots of questions and had some really open conversations about how actions online and offline can affect both themselves and others. It was a great opportunity for them to hear directly from local officers and learn more about how the police support the community.

Teachers at Bridgehall Primary School shared some really lovely feedback about the day. One teacher said the children “had a blast getting creative”, especially when they were coming up with ideas for their communities. Another commented on how refreshing it was for the pupils to take part in activities where there were “no wrong answers”, allowing everyone to contribute and be creative without pressure.

Staff were also impressed by how confidently the pupils spoke about their thoughts and feelings during the sessions. One teacher said it was a “proud moment” to see the children articulate their emotions so openly, particularly when working with adults they hadn’t met before.

Overall, the Positive Futures Day was a fantastic day filled with creativity, conversation and reflection. Coordinated by PIE for the AdsBridge Youth Connection partnership, the day highlighted how powerful it can be when local organisations work together to support young people. Most importantly, it gave the pupils a chance to feel heard, explore their ideas and start thinking about the positive futures ahead of them.