Young people are energised by Crossbar work ready activities
A young duo who were not in education, employment or training (NEET) now have a spring in their step again after completing a week long programme of sports activities.
Harry Roberts and Kumal Murray turned their hand to squash, zoomed down a zip wire and found their golfing groove during the sessions co-ordinated by Telford & Wrekin Council’s FutureFocus service and delivered by the Crossbar Alternative Provision (CAP) team.
The pair also took part in a climbing session and all the activities helped to boost their confidence and encouraged them to try new activities outside their comfort zone.
Following the re-engagement activities both have now joined an Employability Traineeship with Crossbar – a part-time Further Education course that lasts between 12 and 16 weeks.
The course consists of a Level 2 in Employability or Coaching Sport & Physical Activity Qualification with added workshops such as personal development and customer service skills as well as functional skills in English and Maths.
FutureFocus is a free careers guidance support service which offers specialist help to young people with their career planning and signposts them to local providers’ post 16 offers.
The service also helps with course, job and apprenticeship applications, communication skills and much more.
Meanwhile, the Crossbar Group, which has many arms to the company including Education In Sport, Education and Training, The Crossbar Foundation and Crossbar Alternative Provision, offers support to young people aged 4 to 24.
The support isn’t just sport and physical activity but also mentoring and an all round holistic approach as a tool to aid the all-round development of children and young adults.
There is also a focus on developing physical literacy at an early age, through to upper key stages where long term athlete development is introduced to prepare children for a healthy lifestyle in which physical activity becomes embedded.
The Crossbar Group also offers guidance and support to young adults making the transition into further education and employment through CAP and Crossbar Education and Training “more than sport'.
As well as learning new skills, Harry, 16, and Kamal, 17, were able to meet new people, develop their social skills and felt supported during the week.
Jamie Haynes, Director of the Crossbar Group, said: “It’s refreshing to see Harry and Kamal come such a long way in a short space of time.
“Giving them both the opportunity to take part in a range of activities and build relationships with the Crossbar team has enabled them to join our traineeship with confidence which is something they wouldn’t have considered before taking part in the re-engagement activities.”
FutureFocus has hosted a series of re-engagement sessions for young people across the borough in conjunction with Crossbar at Southwater One Telford to highlight different opportunities.
Councillor Eileen Callear (Lab), Telford & Wrekin Council’s Cabinet Member for Visitor Economy, Employment and Skills said: “It’s fantastic to see young people trying new activities which are helping to re-engage them and get back into education, training or employment.
“These re-engagement activities are vital and help young people who have found it difficult over the last couple of years during the pandemic, build their confidence and enable them to take the next steps and enter work, further education or even an apprenticeship.
“For some young people it’s about boosting their confidence, while for others it’s about breaking down some of the barriers which may be hindering them from entering a work or education environment.
“Weeks like these can only benefit young people across the borough, teaching them new sports and activities which can make a big difference to their confidence and self-esteem.”
You can find out more about FutureFocus here.
