Focussing on their Future
We were recently approached by the team at Oakhill Secure Training Centre, a facility for young people aged 12-17yrs going through the criminal justice system or serving sentences, to deliver a programme of activity to help engage the young people and try to bring, even just for a short time, a sense of a ‘normal life’.
The young people at the centre face multiple challenges, and the team highlighted the boys’ inability to ask for help or manage emotion and a predisposition to bottle things up; as well as wider issues such as gang involvement and a lack of positive role models or influences. With their goal being to try to rehabilitate and assist an individual in living a productive future life, leaders at the centre recognised the positive value our athlete mentors could bring to their young people: positive role models, that they could respect and learn alongside.
They were keen to offer time where they didn’t feel like a child in prison, but a young person, an individual, working with someone who doesn’t know them and has no pre-judgments. Crimes committed by the young people at Oakhill are amongst the most serious of crimes, but the staff are always looking for ways to support their development because “at some point these children are going to be adults, and they will be released, and we need to try and give them as many "normal" every day experiences to assist in their social development as possible.” The team asked us to focus on working positively as a team; the knowledge that asking for help and support is not a weakness it can be a strength; and highlighting the power in fitness and discipline.
Zo Taylor, Senior Activities Manager at Oakhill Secure Training Centre, said:
“At Oakhill we pride ourselves on being able to bring new and exciting opportunities to the young people in our care. As part of this we were able to make contact with Dame Kelly Holmes Trust and are pleased to say that we have run our first bespoke five day course. All the athletes, Hannah, Tre and Adam showed strong abilities to get the young people engaged and working together and the feedback from the group has been very positive, even commenting on how they enjoyed the non-sporting activities as much as the physical ones. The hope is that this is something that we will be able to repeat in the future and bring this amazing opportunity to as many of the young people as we can.”
At Dame Kelly Holmes Trust we believe every young person deserves an opportunity to be the best version of themselves. Our athlete mentors deliver transformational programmes for young people in education, community and health settings, improving their wellbeing and confidence, and unlocking their potential. Working in a setting like Oakhill is a new opportunity for the Trust and we were determined to offer the young people the positivity of our athlete mentors’ can-do, never quit attitude, linking them with sporting champions with relatable life experiences. World Championship Boxing medallist Hannah Beharry and British BMX Champion Tre Whyte delivered a week long series of sessions at the centre, as a pilot programme, helping us to understand what impact our intervention could have with these young people and shaping ideas for the future.
We adapted our standard mentoring programmes to include as much physical activity as possible alongside personal development sessions, aimed at improving confidence, resilience and self-esteem. The week was challenging, but rewarding for the young people and athlete mentors. Feedback from the participants shows the positive impact working with an elite level athlete can have. Equipping young people with a winning mindset and shaping their futures - it's a teammate like no other:
“I have really enjoyed the week. It’s been challenging at times and definitely different to other things we do.”
“Hannah and Tre have been great. I found it easy to relate to both of them and I have respect for them both.
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“I have learnt about teamwork, communication and leadership and it has helped me reflect on myself and how I come across.”
“I’ve learnt that sometimes the loudest voice in the room isn’t always the correct voice.”
“I didn’t know whether I would stick it out for a whole week, but I have been to every session.
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“I liked the problem solving games, that got us working as a team.”
“Hannah and Tre got me thinking about what I wanted to do in the future.”
Hannah Beharry who led the sessions over the week said:
“I had such an amazing time working in a different environment. Not only do I think the young people were able to gain in their own personal development, but I also gained a huge amount from the week as well. It’s been a personal goal of mine to work in an environment such as this, as when I was 16 it was deemed that my future would lead me to prison. Sport changed me and helped me not end up there, so for me to give back was such an amazing opportunity.”
Following a successful pilot programme, we are working with the team at Oakhill to explore future opportunities to put our athlete mentors shoulder to shoulder with young people when and where they need it most.