Let’s be honest, this summer has been ridiculous. Oxford hasn’t just been sun‑drenched… it’s been sun‑drowned. Pavements melting, staff sweating, ice creams evaporating before they’re even paid for. And yet, somehow, impossibly, undeniably… CDI youths remain the coolest people in town.
Cool in attitude. Cool in energy. Cool in spirit. And, crucially, cool despite temperatures that could fry an egg on the Barn’s front step.
Cool Factor 1: The Science Squad
Our friends at OAS rolled in with robotic and engineering workshops that had the youths buzzing like caffeinated inventors. Circuits, coding, mechanical wizardry … the lot. The young people didn’t just enjoy it… they revelled in it.
Then came BBOWT, bringing nature, science and exploration. The youths filmed, documented and investigated the natural world like mini Attenboroughs. If you saw a group of young people crouched in a bush with a phone, ‘don’t worry’, they weren’t hiding from the heat. They were capturing nature content.
Cool Factor 2: Strike a Pose, Oxford
Enter Gemma, dance instructor extraordinaire. Afternoons turned into dancefloors. Moves were busted. Poses were struck. Confidence soared.
The heat was tropical. The dance moves were ‘ice cold’.
Cool Factor 3: Clay Day Mayhem
The brilliant Beatrice brought the potter’s wheel, and suddenly everyone was Patrick Swayze. Hands deep in clay, sculpting masterpieces, discovering talents they didn’t know they had. Some pieces were elegant. Some were… abstract! All were cool.
Cool Factor 4: Sports, Quizzes, Games & Splash‑Time
Every day delivered the classics:
- Sports
- Quizzes
- Games
- Laughter
- And the occasional staff member pretending they’re not melting
Plus, the lifesaving trips to the Leys Leisure Centre pool, where the youths cooled down, splashed around, and reminded us that water is humanity’s greatest invention.
Cool Factor 5: Gravity Golf… Where Legends were Born
Now, let’s talk about Riley.
A first‑time crazy golfer. A newcomer to the putter. A young man who initially held the club like it was a violin bow.
But once he figured out which end was which… ICE COLD PUTTING and TECHNIQUE
The air conditioning was chilly. Riley was glacial. A future PGA Tour star? Mark our words.
Cool Factor 6: When the Police & Fire Service Turned Up…
And just when you thought the coolness couldn’t get any cooler… the local police and Slade Fire Service attended the courses.
No crimes. No fires. No emergencies.
Just one offence: Being too cool for school. (At least for a few more weeks.)
As always, they did their organisations proud – breaking down barriers, sharing stories, giving the youths a privileged look into their world, and proving once again that community services shine brightest when they’re side‑by‑side with young people.
So What’s the Verdict?
This summer has been ‘LIT’. Some might say ‘ON FIRE’. But the coolest youths, the coolest partners, and the coolest staff have shown that even a heatwave can’t stop CDI from being the coolest place in Oxford.
You’ve either got it or you haven’t. And CDI youths, along with every supporter, partner and staff member, absolutely have
