A few words from Mr Gannon

As we move towards the end of another year, the now common medical discourse that we had hoped to leave behind remains very much common. However, isolations and circuit breakers have not stopped the praiseworthy progress of the young people here at Falkland.

The past few months have seen a number of notable developments. We have rolled out our Community Values and have begun integrating these into our everyday practise. The five values of Kindness, Positivity, Respect, Aspiration and Resilience are now regularly referenced in conversations with the young people when reflecting on behaviours, choices and actions. Furthermore, to reinforce these values, the young people can now achieve a reward if they demonstrate all five values over a given period.

There have already been many outstanding examples of these values, with the young people excelling in external activities and socially inclusive initiatives. With the latter, links have been established with the Centre for Stewardship and the Falkland Gardening Group, which sees a handful of our young people engaging in a positive way with the local community, developing their social and life skills. On the former, the standout activity has been the rock climbing, with a large number of the boys developing a passion for the pursuit and progressing markedly with their positivity and resilience towards a new challenge.

Moreover, these values can also now be demonstrated in a homelier atmosphere, with significant investment and upgrading of the young peoples’ communal living spaces. This was done in consultation with the young people and has certainly provided a facelift to many of the areas. Here’s hoping that the values displayed by the community here at Falkland persist through another Covid Christmas panto and that 2022 brings a lighter touch.

Wishing everyone a great holiday,

Paddy