Ruby’s story
“Because of my new confidence and better time management, I was able to secure a job in town”
Before joining Dame Kelly Holmes Trust’s Get on Track programme, Ruby had recently lost her job in a bar – like many young people in the service industry, the bar had not been able to offer her the hours of work. This left her feeling worried and uncertain about her future, and with a reported 51% of young people not in education, employment or training saying they feel hopeless about their future*, she’s certainly not alone. Our Get on Track Employability programme offers young people a chance to build confidence, resilience, self-esteem and opportunities to improve their chances of gaining future employment. And for Ruby, an 18-year-old from Thanet, the programme, funded by Peter Harrison Foundation, Southeastern Rail and Virtual School Kent, delivered in Ramsgate supported her through the often unnerving experience of securing employment.
For Ruby, a major goal was to get back into work but she also shared her challenges with confidence, and talking and sharing problems with others. Our programmes put world class athletes shoulder to shoulder with young people, equipping them with a winning mindset and shaping their futures - it's a teammate like no other. Whether it’s building relationship skills, improving self-esteem or learning to stay focused, our sporting champions help the next generation move forward with confidence.
This programme was led by athlete mentors, Commonwealth Gold medallist fencer, Claire Bennett and former GB champion boxer, Hannah Beharry alongside our delivery partner, Swale Leisure Trust. Working with them, the participating young people saw huge positive impact, reporting a 90% increase in confidence, 80% in resilience, 80% in self-esteem and 100% in wellbeing.
Ruby with athlete mentors, Claire and Hannah.
Apprehension gave way to confidence as Ruby shined on the programme
Starting new things can always be daunting and for Ruby embarking on this new experience with new people was just that. “I was scared to meet new people, and coming onto the programme was a big challenge, it felt intimidating because I didn’t know anyone and wasn’t sure what to expect,” explained Ruby.
It’s widely recognised that sport requires a high degree of discipline, responsibility and perseverance. Athletes have proven leadership qualities, positive mind-set and communications skills. They know how to achieve their goals and apply resilience during the highs and lows of competitive sport and life. During the programme our athlete mentors are on hand to share what they have learnt during their experiences in elite sport to help young people with their specific challenges and to improve key skills to help with everyday life.
Ruby really found the support from Claire and Hannah a great help, saying: “Working with Claire and Hannah was enjoyable and welcoming. They have been so inspiring to me and the group. Their support has made me feel more relaxed in a group setting, which has helped me learn new skills and improve my current ones.”
It wasn’t just confidence which Ruby improved across the programme, by stretching her outside of her comfort zone, she was noted key life skills that she has taken from working with her athlete mentors: “I've become much more confident and can now talk to more people, including employers. This has been a big change for me. My timekeeping has also improved a lot, these improvements have really paid off, because of my new confidence and better time management, I was able to secure a job in town,” said Ruby.
Athlete Mentor Claire, said:
“Ruby came to every session with energy, enthusiasm and a huge smile on her face. She was so committed to the programme and I couldn’t be more proud of the fact that she did every single activity we asked her to do, she stepped up to deliver football-based activities to the group and stretched herself outside of her comfort zone. She also set some incredible performance goals towards her future and is now happily settling into a new job. She always left each session with a spring in her step and her positivity always rubbed off on others. She now has a great support group with the young people that she met on the programme and I know she will achieve whatever she puts her mind to. It has been a huge joy for Hannah and I to get to know Ruby and support her to go for her goals.
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Across the country Dame Kelly Holmes Trust programmes are having similar impacts on other young people like Ruby and helping them achieve their individual goals.