Education + Sports = A Winning Combination
GROUND-BREAKING EDUCATION & SPORTS PROJECT PROVIDES A HOLISTIC OFFER FOR DISADVANTAGED YOUNG PEOPLE
Salaam Peace, an award-winning community engagement programme, have developed an innovative project, consisting of study support, life skills development and organised football, for young people in the heart of multi-cultural East London.
The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately disadvantaged young people from BAME backgrounds. The shutting of schools, reduced sporting provisions and reduced familial disposable income have exacerbated existing issues including poor educational attainment, obesity, and inactivity, all of which contribute to reduced prospects later in life.
Our project addresses these issues. On a Saturday morning, young people aged 10-14 participate in a weekly drop-in study support session at the CRATE building in Walthamstow, East London. Each week, young people access a diverse, safe, and social space to complete homework and revision, with support from trained members of the Salaam Peace team. Once a month, instead of an academic session, Salaam Peace deliver an interactive life skills workshop covering fundamental skills that we are not necessarily covered extensively in mainstream education, including self-awareness, mindset and resilience; in order to equip participants with the skills to succeed in life. Immediately after attending these sessions, the young people then represent the Salaam Peace youth football teams in the Hackney Marshes Saturday Youth Football League.
In the space of a single day, participants access organised educational and sporting provisions that facilitate increased educational attainment, physical wellbeing, mental wellbeing, and the development of positive peer relationships.
Azi Mohammed, Director of Operations at Salaam Peace, added: ‘During the most challenging social situation of our time, it is essential to provide a holistic offer of education and sports. In a time filled with doom and gloom, the project has provided our beneficiaries with something to look forward to and has kept them away from negative influences. The project has brought a new dimension to our multi-award-winning programmes. We are extremely grateful to have access to such a wonderful space at the CRATE and are looking forward to further developing this project.’
For more information, please contact azi@salaampeace.org
