This case study demonstrates how to create an inclusive summer camp for children and young people with additional support needs. It highlights ways to uphold their right to equality and protection from discrimination (Article 2), while also acknowledging their right to special care and assistance (Article 23) as well as their right to participate in decisions affecting them (Article 12).
Borders Additional Needs Group (BANG) designed and delivered a five-week Summer Camp in July 2025, with each week focusing on a different article of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). The camp aimed to provide inclusive and accessible opportunities for young people who have additional support needs (ASN), along with their siblings and families, with the aim of exploring their rights through play, creativity, wellbeing, and community connection.
The Summer Camp was delivered in partnership with Scottish Borders Council and Borders Disability Sport, whose guidance and collaboration shaped the programme. A wide range of supporting organisations, including NHS Borders, Live Borders, Skills Development Scotland, Borders Carers Centre, Scottish Autism, Police Scotland, The Promise Team, the Smart Play Network, and creative practitioners enriched the camp by offering activities, resources, and specialist input. Together, this network of partners and supporters created safe and inclusive environments where children’s rights to play, development, protection, inclusion, and voice were lived in practice.
Week 1 – Article 31: The Right to Relax and Play
ASN Families often report limited inclusive summer opportunities in the Borders. Week 1 responded by providing an inclusive day filled with activities such as football, tennis, archery, inflatables, trikes and bikes, sensory spaces, and creative arts. Dedicated wellbeing spaces included a “Connection Wall” where young people shared strategies for staying well. A Parent Carer tent offered peer support and links to services, while supporting organisations such as Borders Carers Centre provided information and ongoing connections. Parents highlighted the sense of belonging, with one sharing
This is the first event we’ve all been able to enjoy together, usually one of my children misses out.
The day set the tone for the whole camp, creating an atmosphere of welcome, celebration, and inclusion.
Week 2 – Articles 12 & 24: The Right to be Listened To and the Right to Health
Week 2 celebrated young people’s voices while promoting physical and emotional wellbeing. Families had highlighted that young people with ASN often face barriers to accessing activities where they can share their voice and be heard. In response, BANG worked with supporting organisations including Transform Arts CIC, NHS Borders, and Live Borders, amongst many others to deliver a balance of energetic and creative opportunities. From practical oral health activities, to football, yoga, inflatables and trikes, this offered accessible physical play, while mask-making workshops encouraged expression and identity. A youth tent provided quieter spaces for games and connection. Children proudly displayed their masks, expressing ownership over their creative voices. Parents spoke of their amazement at seeing their children try new activities such as yoga or cycling, experiences they would not normally access this. The session reinforced that the rights to health and to be listened to are interconnected, and both can be promoted through playful, inclusive practice.
Week 3 – Articles 28 & 29: The Right to Education and the Right to Development
Week 3, focused on informal education, encompassing creative, physical, emotional, and social development. Many families reported that their children often struggled to access inclusive education and lacked opportunities to connect learning with real-world skills, creativity, and development. The camp responded by creating a holistic day of learning supported by Skills Development Scotland, Live Borders Libraries, NHS Borders Childsmile, paediatric physiotherapy specialists, and creative practitioners. Activities included careers guidance, music workshops, Lego play, health education, cycling, physiotherapy-led sessions, and archery. Families valued the presence of Skills Development Scotland in such a relaxed space, with one parent sharing:
It’s reassuring to see my child ask questions without pressure.
Week 4 – Articles 19 & 23: The Right to Protection from Harm and the Right to Inclusion and Dignity
The fourth week, focused on safety, inclusion, and dignity for disabled young people. Families had explained that young people with ASN often face stigma, exclusion, and limited opportunities to engage positively with protective services. The camp created a festival-style day supported by Police Scotland, Borders Carers Centre, Alchemy Film & Arts, Live Borders, Katie’s Music Sessions, and creative practitioners. Activities included adapted cycling, inflatable sports, music and art workshops, sensory tents, and Lego play. The day demonstrated how inclusion and protection are deeply linked to young people’s sense of safety and belonging.
Week 5 – Articles 6 & 31: The Right to Life and Development and the Right to Play
The final week brought together the themes of development and play, celebrating how both are essential for wellbeing. Families often reported that summer holidays lacked inclusive play opportunities where siblings could join together, and that barriers to sports and creative activities left many excluded. The programme responded with inflatable football, adapted trike cycling, arts and crafts, sensory games led by the Smart Play Network, and music and movement sessions. Supporting organisations such as Scottish Autism also provided families with tailored advice and information. Week 5 demonstrated that development and play are inseparable, both essential rights that flourish in inclusive spaces.
The Camp Finale – Obstacle Course Colour Run
The Summer Camp concluded with a spectacular Obstacle Course Colour Run, designed as a carnival-style celebration of the rights explored across the five weeks. Young people ran through inflatables, crawled under nets, leapt into water obstacles, and threw and received bursts of colourful powder. The Colour Run symbolised the spirit of the entire Summer Camp: vibrant, inclusive, resilient, and joyful.
Huge Thank You!
We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks for the generous support from the whole team at Borders Disability Sport, Rowan Boland Trust, McDonalds, and Scottish Borders Council. Without them, the 2025 UNCRC Summer Camp would not have been the success it was. Their contribution played a vital role in making this opportunity possible for so many families across the Borders.
The five-week UNCRC Summer Camp demonstrated the power of making children’s rights real in practice: creating safe, inclusive spaces where young people with additional needs could play, develop, connect, and thrive together.
If you’d like to learn more about this practice example, please get in touch with Tyne Lovell-Henderson (tyne-lovell-henderson@bordersadditionalneeds.org), Operational Manager at Borders Additional Needs Group.