AQA Unlocking potential launches for biggest year ever
Dame Kelly Holmes Trust and education charity AQA launched our transformational AQA Unlocking Potential mentoring programme this week at three locations across the country in Guildford, Milton Keynes and Manchester. After marking a decade of the programme in 2022, AQA has committed to a further four years partnership with the Trust, with its largest investment yet. This year’s programme is expanding to reach greater numbers than ever before, with 120 students from 30 schools across the country taking part in the launch events this week and benefiting from inspirational mentoring from world-class athletes.
With the cost of living and energy crisis dominating the news agenda and schools as well as students under more pressure than ever, the continued commitment from AQA to support young people comes at a crucial time. A recent study found that almost half (44%) of young people were above the threshold for ‘probable mental ill health’, with poor mental health amongst young people increasing by almost a quarter since 2017*.
“Fun, resilience, strength, determination, focus”
Some of the key words from the students at the end of the Milton Keynes launch event when asked to sum up their day.
At the launch events, students meet their athlete mentors for the first time, the people who will be the champion in their corner for the next seven months. Importantly, they also meet fellow students and teachers from other schools from different areas of the country. Throughout the morning sessions, the athletes introduce new ice breaker activities that gradually mixes students up with other schools, gets them out of their comfort zones and working as a group to take part in activities and solve puzzles. It is amazing to see how the energy in the room grows and how engaged and involved the young people are by the end of the day, compared to the sometimes shy and reserved groups who walked through the door initially.
Meeting their athlete mentor and hearing their story and understanding how they have battled back from setbacks is a crucial part of the programme. In Milton Keynes, Jack Rutter talked about how he recovered from an unprovoked attack that left with him with a brain injury, to captain the Team GB cerebral palsy team at Rio 2016. In Manchester, Jenna Downing talked about the resilience she showed when continually told she couldn’t join an inline skate club as she was a girl, to going on to becoming a world champion in her sport and her having her skate boots worn by people all over the world.
Jenna Downing
“You only need one person in your life to believe in you. We all need one thing in life that makes you feel awesome. Never let anyone say you can’t do something. Never put limits on what you can achieve.”
Shabnam Shahani, AQA’s Executive Director of Strategy and Business Development said of the launch events:
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“We’re delighted to be renewing our AQA Unlocking Potential programme for another four years, and our partnership with the Dame Kelly Holmes Trust. AQA Unlocking Potential has such a positive and inspiring impact on the young people that take part and we’re really looking forward to this year, which will be our biggest since the programme began way back in 2012. We can’t wait to see what amazing things these young people will achieve over the next eight months.”
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For the first time on this programme, each young person received a specially designed AQA Unlocking Potential hoody. We hope will provide a sense of identity with the programme and is unique to students attending this programme.
Our athlete mentors will be visiting the schools to work with their groups over the next three months ahead of the mid-point events in March. Here, the students will present their plans for their social action projects to a Dragon’s Den, utilising all the new skills they will be gaining over the months ahead. You can follow their progress on our social media channels, using the hashtag #AQAUnlockingPotential