Earlier this month ten lucky Street Elite graduates were invited on a training residential in the New Forest. All ten participants had previously shown great potential in becoming the next generation of ‘Sports for Social Change’ coaches for their communities.
The residential ran for three days. During this time all graduates shared a log cabin and bonded like a family. It gave young people an opportunity to create lasting relationships with likeminded young people inside and outside of the training exercises.
One young person shared: “The trip enabled me to show my vulnerable side”.
During the morning sessions our coaches would deliver various training workshops that taught the young people how to budget, think creatively and design sports activities that generate social change in communities.
On the first night young people were divided into teams and tasked with cooking a three-course meal. Culinary creations from the exercise ranged from spaghetti bolognese to carbonara and apple crumble. The exercise taught young people to plan, budget and execute a plan to create a product that benefitted the community around them.
On the second day, our coaches ran various leadership workshops. The workshops taught the young people how to design and execute sports activities that encourage positive social messaging and conflict resolution. Social messaging topics varied from important subjects such as mental health to disability inclusion. Young graduates quickly developed the key skills needed to become an effective social change sport coach.
On the final day each graduate set their own personal goals for the following six weeks, six months and 12-months. The workshops were designed to prepare each graduate for the next stage of their coaching journey. Setting milestones across the next year is an effective way of making sure graduates remain motivated and passionate about their coaching journey.
Overall, the feedback our coaches received was highly positive from all of the young people.
One young person shared: “The break away was well needed and I got to bond with other people, learn some incredible youth work games and understand how to link sport and social messaging together”.
Our coaches were delighted with the progress all the young people developed over the three days.
One coach mentor shared: “I was delighted to watch each participant work together in a team despite being in an environment that they are not use to”.
We look forward to following the progress of the young people as they develop into future sport for social change coaches over the next year.
To learn more about our Street Elite programme or for more information on getting involved please contact rossdefoe@changefdn.org.uk
