#CoachTogether
4
The Pitch
Problem statement
The Our City, Our Future survey in 2021 asked young people how to improve feelings of safety in Westminster and suggestions included more youth clubs or youth activities to give young people something to do. Not only do young people need something to do but they need to get and stay active. Retention in sports is a problem, especially with teenage girls (one of our target audiences). The lack of qualified volunteers and structured, progressive activities adds to the problem. We want to retain and recruit volunteers and offer work experience, qualifications and experience to to local young people.
Solution
Boxing has a strong track record for meaningful engagement with hard to reach young people, providing a focus, discipline and confidence. The process of learning a skill engages the mind and provides a focus. We intend to recruit, train and qualify more volunteers to coach in existing sessions so we can accommodate more participants. Also, experienced coaches/youth workers to deliver in hard to reach communities to inspire the next generation. Our project is two pronged. We are getting young people active and involved in a community while providing volunteering and work experience opportunities and qualifications and experience to improve self confidence and employability.
Why are we best placed to deliver?
We are led by Rachel Bower an England Talent Pathway coach with over 15 years coaching experience. She has experience managing boxing outreach projects with large funders such as the National Lottery, the Police, and local community groups. All our coaches are registered, insured and qualified (coaching, safeguarding, first aid, DBS) through our National Governing Body. We deliver quality coaching with purpose to meet the needs of our participants. This has been recognised recently with us winning the One You Westminster award for our work with BAME communities to reduce heart disease and the London Sport 'Uniting London' award for our work with LGBTQ communities.
Focus Areas
Delivery plan
Budget breakdown
| Courses, qualifications, DBS checks | £500 |
| coach mentoring (121 personal development and development planning, group volunteer coordination) | £300 |
| Kit for volunteers (coach tshirts/tracksuits) | £200 |
Beneficiaries
40 people
Who will benefit
Expected impact
Firstly our existing participants and the new ones we will be able to attract with an increased volunteer workforce will benefit from an increased sense of community and belonging within an amateur sports club. Physical and mental health benefits of exercise and the soft skills learnt from committing to a discipline will also be reaped.Our volunteers will gain valuable experience planning and leading sessions, coordinating club functions and public speaking. There are many transferable skills that will furnish CV's for meaningful paid employment and also opportunities within boxing for paid coaching work. Coaches will also have opportunities to develop as coaches within the England Boxing pathway.
Track record
We have run two much larger and highly successful employment and education projects before. We have a small team of volunteers and have offered 'Kickstart' work placements in the past. Our volunteer coordinator has experience of mentoring and coach development with the national governing body England Boxing and currently leads the mentoring team for teh England Boxing Womens Coach Development Programme.