September 3, 2025

Birmingham’s Deaf Youth Club Summer Recap!

An introduction to our Youth Club…

We run activities in Birmingham for D/deaf and hard of hearing children and young people aged 8 – 18 and their siblings. Our aim is to support children and young people’s development, increase their aspirations and increase their access to social and leisure activities, ensuring they have the same level of social life more readily available to their hearing peers.

Our specialist skilled team of staff and volunteers use a total communication approach, using British Sign Language (BSL), Sign Supported English, English and objects of reference to provide supportive, accessible events and activities designed to meet the needs of children within the Deaf community.

What did we get up to this summer?

Our brilliant Youth and Transitions Worker, Richard organised over 15 activities for our Youth Club across 3 weeks of the summer holidays! Richard was supported by 5 volunteers, 3 members of staff and BSL Interpreters to make sure the children were safe, supported and included each day.

Their first trip was to the Birmingham Botanical Gardens where they spent the morning walking the grounds, learning about the plants and enjoyed a picnic outdoors in the fresh air.

Two young boys sat on a bench in the botanical gardens. The boy on the right is giving a thumbs up.

Outside, 3 young children are stood around the Youth Coordinator, Richard who is smiling and using BSL.

Next up, the group took a trip to the Black Country Living Museum which included a guided tour through the mines; they got to learn about the history and understand what life was like for miners! Each child was given a torch to help them navigate the dark mines and continue communicating in BSL with their peers.

Group of 10+ children are stood in a small room, being fitted with helmets.

9 arms are meeting in the centre of the image, each touching knuckles to form a circle and showing off their Black Country Museum white wristbands.

As well as day trips, the club also got to enjoy a few days at our Deaf Cultural Centre (DCC) which is where they usually meet for their weekly club. We were visited by Sally from Sharper Arts who also regularly visits our Deaf community on a Friday. This was a great opportunity for the children to explore their creative side and build confidence in their skills (and also gives our staff and volunteers a chance to relax a little!).

18 handmade sock puppets have been laid out on a table. Some are patterned but most are dark grey, light grey, black and navy.

Two young girls are sat at a large table, sewing their sock puppets.

We were visited once again by Fizz Pop Science who offer exciting science education which is accessible for everyone. These are interactive sessions which always have the children fully engaged and everyone had the opportunity to experiment, test theories and ask questions – lots of laughs too!

10+ children are in a large hard, all gathered around Richard who is giving them instructions in BSL.

A group of 8 children are all laughing as two children are holding either side of an unknown contraption which appears to be unraveling toilet paper.

Other activities included a trip to our local cinema, the National Sea Life Centre to visit the penguins and ice skating at SnowDome!

9 children and members of staff are stood outside the Sea Life building. They're all wearing yellow high-visibility jackets.

15+ penguins are waddling around their enclosure which is covered with ice.

12 hands are pointing towards the centre. Each person is holding out their index and middle fingers and touching the person's next to them to create a star-like shape.

Selfie of a woman and young girl stood outdoors, both wearing sunglasses.

Richard is seated with 10 children around a large fountain. Behind the fountain is a tall, beige, pointed structure.

It’s a great feeling to know our Youth Club was having fun each day, learning new skills and establishing long-lasting friendships with their peers while doing activities which are accessible for every single one of them. Many of our members have been attending our group for a few years now and it’s been a privilege to watch their confidence grow!

We had such a great summer and we’re already looking forward to 2026, but for now the children still get to enjoy weekly sessions at our DCC in Birmingham! If you’d be interested in your child attending this group, please get in touch with our Birmingham Children & Youth Services – we’d love to get them involved!

Selfie on a public bus with 12 adults and children.

2 young girls are seated on a carousel carriage. The girl on the left is pointing to something off camera.

Richard is lighting a blue number 12 candle on a chocolate tray bake. Children are gathered around the table.

5 girls are seated on a bench and smiling towards the camera.

A special thank you!

Thank you to Richard Clatworthy for organising these activities to keep our Youth Club entertained over the summer – you did a fantastic job!

None of this would be possible without our wonderful team of volunteers and staff – Alex, Ellie, Monica, Sindeed, Sarah, Mandeep and Nabeela. Thank you for supporting Richard and ensuring every member of our Youth Club felt safe, included and had fun during each activity!

Also a massive thank you to our wonderful BSL Interpreters who provided seamless communication between external organisations and all of our D/deaf BSL users (staff, volunteers and youth members).

A selfie of Richard smiling with 4 of his volunteers and staff.

Contact our Youth Service

Interested in Volunteering?

These activities were funded by Bring it on Brum! as part of their Summer Holiday Activity and Food (HAF) programme designed for families in Birmingham to help children and young people have fun, active, and healthy school holidays.

They’ve helped us to provide activities to our children and young people to keep them active, having fun, being entertained and learning new things throughout the school summer holidays!