Olympics
StreetGames
A few days ago (21 December 2012 blog) I featured a young lady who is helping kids through street dance. And several times in the past I have mentioned the role of sport in developing young leaders. So today I thought I should mention a charity, StreetGames, that is using local (“doorstep”) sport to create a positive focus for young people’s energies.
Launched 5 years ago, StreetGames aims to bring about positive change in deprived communities by bringing sport into young people’s immediate neighbourhoods. It was inspired by previous projects that had successfully used football for this purpose. It believes that sport can be a catalyst for social change, and that it can bring out the best in people, encouraging partnership working and the sharing of ideas and resources. By its very nature it is inclusive, challenging “the barriers which prevent so many women and girls, black and minority ethnic communities and disabled people who live in disadvantaged areas from taking part in sport”. It operates by supporting the following programmes:
- The Co-operative StreetGames Young Volunteers – this offers volunteering opportunities for 16-25 year-olds, supporting and running local sport sessions and tournaments, assisting at national events, and learning coaching and leadership skills, as well as gaining awards and qualifications;
- Training Academy – through workshops and courses, and with the assistance of the various national governing bodies of sport, this prepares project leaders and volunteers with the necessary technical and inter-personal skills to bring doorstep sport to young people in a style appropriate to their local community; and
- Us Girls – funded by Sport England, this aims to get young women in disadvantaged areas more active by providing sporting opportunities for them in their local community.
During the Olympics StreetGames also provided specific opportunities for volunteering, through its Legacy Leaders programme.
You can find out more about it at its website… http://www.streetgames.org/www/index.php.
Young Enterprise honoured
The charity Young Enterprise has just announced that it is one of the recipients of The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Volunteering Award 2012.
The Awards have been made in recognition of a total of sixty national volunteer organisations and those working with volunteers as part of this year’s Olympic and Paralympic Games: nominees had to have a minimum of 25 volunteers. Presentations will be made in late Spring 2013, at a joint reception at Buckingham Palace, along with recipients of the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service.
Young Enterprise is the UK’s leading enterprise education charity. Every year it helps 227,000 young people learn about business and the world of work in schools, colleges and universities. It is supported by a network of 5,000 volunteers from 3,500 companies, who go into educational establishments and help young people acquire the employability skills they will need to succeed at work, or to create their own firms.
Inspirational young leader
Ted Dolphin (left) receiving his trophy from Mark Foster (right)
Apologies to Ted Dolphin for not picking up on this story sooner!
Last month 16-year-old Ted was recognised at the Energize Awards for his inspirational leadership, when he was named Young Volunteer of the Year. He was presented with a trophy by former World, European and Commonwealth swimming champion Mark Foster, in front of a crowd of 200 people, including Olympic archer Alison Williamson, at Shrewsbury Town Football Club’s Greenhous Meadow. These were the sixth annual awards organised by the Energize STW (Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin) county sports partnership… “an opportunity for local people and organisations to be celebrated for their passion, dedication and commitment to grass-roots sport”.
The 16-year-old winner, who is from Cleobury Mortimer, is now in his final year at Lacon Childe School, but has still managed to complete more than 200 hours of volunteering during the last 12 months. He started his leadership work two years ago, and since then has supported experienced coaches, as well as leading activities at school holiday clubs. He has completed the FA Junior Football Leaders, ECB Cricket Young Leaders, Tri-Golf Activators, and BISI Badminton Teacher awards, and gained a Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award. He is a keen badminton player and represents Shropshire. Sport seems to run in the family – his mum coaches evening badminton sessions at Cleobury Mortimer Sports & Fitness Centre, and his dad Neil used to play football locally in the Kidderminster League. Neil says that he is pleased his son is so keen on volunteering: it shows that he “is thinking of others and not just himself.”
And that is what we are all about, at the Chreda Foundation… honouring our young people for their selflessness and passion for helping others around them in the community. Wherever and whenever we come across inspirational young leaders like this we aim to bring you details here at Generosity News.
Starr fundraiser
Photo credit: PA
Fifteen-year-old Starr Halley will be raising funds in her home town of Skegness this weekend, for the children’s cancer charity CLIC Sargent, which supported her throughout her treatment for brain cancer, since she was diagnosed at the age of 12.
In late 2009 Starr underwent major brain surgery, followed by intensive chemotherapy and radiotherapy. This left her unable to speak or walk and the whole of one side of her body immobile. Doctors told her that she might never be able to walk again.
Flash forward to the end of June this year… Starr was a proud Olympic torchbearer, carrying the flame for the London 2012 Games through her home town of Skegness, which was honouring her sterling fight against cancer, but also her untiring charity fundraising efforts.
Following the cancer treatment, early in 2011, Starr had begun to speak a little, and with physiotherapy she eventually managed to learn to crawl. But she was determined to walk again. She was told that even if she could do it this would take at least 6 months. Yet, within 6 weeks, she had run a ‘Family 5K run’, participated in the CLIC Sargent charity fashion show, and been a guest on ITV’s This Morning. Since then she has attended conferences, given presentations, done a variety of charity promotional work, and taken part in the Race For Life. She has become a keen fundraiser for the kids’ charity that helped her so much, and now makes crafts which she sells in a local car boot sale.
Starr is a pupil at King Edward VI College, in Spilsby, and at her fundraiser this weekend she will be supported by school friends, as well as other friends and family. She will be wearing her torchbearer uniform and carrying her Olympic torch: in return for a donation people will be able to pose for photographs. If you are in Lincolnshire on Saturday, be sure to go to Skegness and help Starr raise funds for CLIC Sargent. You can find her outside Lidl, from 9am to 6pm.
This young star deserves your support!
The Diana Awards
Last Monday (24 September) 65 young role models were celebrated at the Diana Awards, held at Canary Wharf, in London. The Diana Award organisation is a charity that was set up in memory of Diana, Princess of Wales, who was herself a tireless campaigner. It recognises the efforts and impacts of young people between the ages of 9 and 18, by making awards in five areas:
- The Diana Anti-Bullying Award Champion, for tackling bullying in schools and communities;
- The Diana Active Campaigner, for running campaigns in schools and communities;
- The Diana Champion Fundraiser, for raising money for good causes;
- The Diana Champion Volunteer, for giving time to improve the lives of others; and
- The Diana Courageous Citizen, for a courageous approach to life that has made a direct impact on the lives of others.
There are now 5,000 Award holders across the UK, and International Awards are also given by the charity.
This year’s presentations were made by celebrities including Team GB Paralympic member and Sitting Volleyballer Martine Wright, as well as singer and Diana Award Ambassador Sinitta. As Ms Wright says, the winners of the Awards “are inspiring their generation to take a positive role in their communities.” Inspiring young people is, of course, also one of the key aims of the Chreda Foundation, which is the charity behind this website.
The next deadline for UK and International nominations is Friday the 9th of November, and you can nominate UK young people HERE, or others HERE.
