Step into Sport Case Study
Hannah and Michelle in line for YST Award!
Hannah and Michelle are two 17 year old students from Redborne Upper School in Ampthill and since ‘stepping into sport’ and volunteering locally, not only have they found the work rewarding and fun, but they too have gained two sporting qualifications.
In conjunction with their local School Sports Partnership, Hannah and Michelle have been busy helping to organise and run several school-based sports festivals including a Tag Rugby Festival in partnership with Ampthill RFU, a netball festival with Cranfield, Westoning, Maulden and Shefford Netball Clubs and a football World Cup with Bedfordshire FA.
Both girls have also completed Junior Leadership Awards (JSLA) and are currently tackling their Community Sports Leadership Award (CSLA), and could well be in line to pick up a Youth Sports Trust Award for their hard work and dedication.
Whilst neither Hannah nor Michelle considers themselves to be particularly sporty, it hasn't stopped them loving every moment of volunteering;
“The volunteering we've done has been great” says Hannah, “and we really enjoy working with the kids. They have lots of fun playing the sports and mixing with other kids and so it’s very rewarding. We get given loads of responsibility and we've done everything from time keeping and scoring to leading sessions and coaching”.
Michelle explains how she intends to transfer her ‘Step into Sport’ skills in the future, “I don't know what I want to do yet when I leave school, but I think having done this sort of thing I'd like to do something in events management. This will look really good on my CV and although I don't know if I want to go to uni yet, a Step into Sport Award may help me stand out against other people”.
Inspired and in possession of an abundance of new skills, following her exams next year, Hannah is hoping to head stateside and enrol in Camp America whilst Michelle hopes that her ‘Step into Sport’ experience will be her passport to selection onto a sports camp.
Craig's Story
Craig is a great ambassador for Step into Sport in this county. He joined the scheme in 2005 when he came with 15 fellow students from Luton 6th Form College to the team BEDS&LUTON (or Active Sports, as it was at the time) local volunteer conference. Like many of the 90 students that attended that day, Craig went away feeling enthusiastic about getting involved in volunteering in sport.
A couple of weeks later, a Sports Development Officer from team BEDS&LUTON went down to the college with representatives from local sports clubs to sign the students up for some volunteer placements in their community. This is where Craig met Matt and Tracey from Luton Leagrave Football Club. They invited him down to the club to get a taste of things.....and the rest, as they say, is history!
Craig is now 17 and has been going along to the club ever since to manage the under 9s team. Through the Step into Sport scheme he has accessed and achieved his Level 1 and 2 Football Coach qualification, scUK Child Protection, Emergency First Aid and is a Multi Skills coach. From this, Craig has now also built up a good relationship with a number of the SSCo’s in Luton and is going to be helping at one of their multi-skills festivals in the summer term. Craig is really pleased to have been involved in the scheme and said, 'SiS is a really good and enjoyable programme that has helped me out with confidence and opened all sorts of new pathways'.
Craig is coming to the end of his 'BTEC Sport' course at Luton 6th form and is now applying to University. All his coaching qualifications will put him in good sted, as will his GOLD award from the YST for 200+hours of volunteering!
Well done Craig and good luck from us all!
