ON COURSE TO BECOME SPORTS LEADERS

A group of young people from across Thanet are on course to become the first to pass Sport 4 NRG's Community Sports Leadership Awards.

Eight young men are taking part in the Level 2 community sports leadership, while eight young women are completing the Level 1 in dance leadership.

All have already passed their emergency first aid training and have completed 40 hours of practical learning, provided by James Gregory and Colin Rouse, who are part of the council's Sport Matters team. The dance leadership course has also seen teaching from local qualified dance teachers, Claire Gilbert and Stacie Chadwick.

They now need to complete 10 hours of volunteering in the community to receive their qualification, which will help them get back on track for further education or future employment. Sport 4 NRG will help them find training or education placements through their local contacts.

James Gregory from Sport 4 NRG said: "It's been great to see these young people grow in confidence during the course of this qualification. A lot of young people these days have barriers to succeeding academically. If a young person struggles to cope in a classroom environment, they are written off too easily. Learning in the classroom is not for everyone. Instead, we give them the opportunity to learn in an environment they are comfortable with, such as a sports hall, and in return, we get the rewards of seeing them thrive, and turning into great sports leaders. The improvement in both their leadership skills and confidence over the last few weeks has been obvious to everyone who's been involved with this programme."

If you can offer these motivated individuals either further sports related training or employment, please contact James on 01843 577728 or e-mail james.gregory@thanet.gov.uk