By Stoke City Football Club
STOKE CITY’S Community Trust uses the power of sport, and football in particular, to deliver an extensive range of activities and support programmes which make a difference to the lives and the outcomes of people of all ages, abilities and social backgrounds within the local community of Staffordshire and surrounding areas.
More commonly known as Stoke City Football in the Community or the Community Programme, this Trust engages with people in many varied ways to stimulate an environment in which they can realise their potential and subsequently accomplish more in whatever walk of life they choose for personal and professional development.
Young people are offered sporting opportunities which encourage them to pursue and enjoy a more active lifestyle, while the programme also helps many others to develop a more positive outlook on life through education, training and support.
The key focus areas of the Community Trust are therefore: sports participation, education and lifelong learning and health and wellbeing.
Here are some of the initiatives:
NATIONAL CITIZEN SERVICE
The National Citizen Service is taking place all over England and YOU can be part of this amazing summer experience with Stoke City Football Club:
Away Residential - 1st to 5th July (Monday to Friday)
- Activity Residential week Boreatton Park, Shrewsbury, having fun and getting to know the other people in your team
- You will stop away from home for four nights
- You will meet people from other Stoke City FC NCS Teams
- You will participate in a range of outdoor activities such as mountain biking, kayaking, archery, walking/orienteering, evening activities and lots more (follow us on Facebook for the latest news)
- Free ‘travel pack’ for every young person
Local Residential 8th to 12th July (Monday to Friday)
- Local Residential at various venues in Stoke on Trent
- You will stop away from home for four nights
- You will work in your team of 15 young people
- Participate in a mixture of indoor and outdoor activities, team building exercises, project based work and start thinking about how you can make a difference to Stoke on Trent
Community Week ‘Be the secret millionaire’ 15th July to 19th July (Monday to Friday)
- Learning more about your community and how you can improve it!
- Working with your team you will meet various Community Organisations and Leaders and you will start planning a community project
- You will spend 30 hours over this week planning your project with the rest of your team.
- Your Project can be anything from creating a poster/leaflet to raising awareness of local issues, fund raising, voluntary work…..whatever your team decides
Community Delivery – ‘Make a difference’ 22nd July to 26th July (Monday to Friday)
- Turning your ideas into a real community project in your chosen area
- You will spend 30 hours over the week delivering your community project
5th September 2013 - Celebration Event at Britannia Stadium
- Evening Celebration Event at Britannia Stadium
- Participate in an event to showcase your NCS experience
- Share memories and experiences with the friends you made over the summer
- Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for the latest news and up to date experiences we have planned for the Celebration event
How to Get Involved
E-mail: david.bartrum@stokecityfc.com.
How much does it Cost?
Only £50.00 per participant – but don’t worry about this and focus on how this project can help you gain loads of confidence and more importantly how having this experience on your CV/Personal Statement will look really good to employers, colleges and universities.
HEALTH AND WELLBEING
Stoke City’s Wellbeing Initiative is part of the national Imagine Your Goals scheme.
We are firm believers in the benefits that physical activity can have on mental health.
By providing exercise, training and education opportunities for people who experience mental or emotional problems, the programme helps challenge the stigma associated with mental illness.
Individuals are offered professional support to reach their goals, such as quitting smoking, losing weight.
Working closely with a number of highly respected partners including the NHS, the programme aims to tackle and reduce health inequalities by offering 10-week plans, which are compiled with a range of workshops and modules, attuned to individuals needs.
For more information on Imagine Your Goals contact Paul Salvatore by e-mail at paul.salvatore@stokecityfc.com.
KICKZ - GOALS THRU FOOTBALL
Stoke City's Kickz project works in partnership with the Premier League, Staffordshire Police and Stoke-on-Trent City Council.
It uses the development of young people's potential to create safer, stronger and more respectful communities.
Tri-weekly sessions of football, plus a variety of activities and workshops, have been in place at Bentilee since 2010, during which time reports of anti-social behaviour in the area have lowered.
Sessions are all free and available to anyone aged 14-18.
They take place on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays, 6.00pm-9.00pm at Bentilee Pavilion. Power League Stoke hosts Kickz on Fridays 6.00pm-8.00pm.
In 2011, Kickz celebrated its five-year anniversary.
EDUCATION & LIFELONG LEARNING
Stoke Challenge is committed to reducing the number of 16-18 year-olds who are not in education, employment or training (NEET).
The project works both with those who are already NEET, as well as those who are at risk of becoming so.
Individuals are encouraged to identify positive destinations for themselves, while being helped to improve their skills and become more employable.
They are generally offered a two-day a week programme, which lasts 10 weeks and includes a residential activity.
The programme challenges the young people physically and mentally, and helps show them the rewards of hard work.
For more information on Stoke Challenge, please e-mail community@stokecityfc.com.