Special Olympics Great Britain has helped train 19 new sports leaders, who will subsequently become new volunteers within the movement, thanks to the Sure Breaking Limits Programme.
The programme has seen 19 students with a disability participate in the Sure Breaking Limits Sports Leaders Programme at Portland College in Nottinghamshire and Eccles Sixth Form College in Greater Manchester.
Here, through weekly sessions delivered through Special Olympics GB, they studied four leadership modules, including improving inclusion for people with disabilities and mental well-being. Each student completed the course, which is the equivalent of Level 2 in Community Sports Leadership provided by The Leadership Skills Foundation, and it qualifies them to lead a session under the supervision of a qualified head coach.
Connor Fellows, Coach Development Officer for Special Olympics GB, said: “We’re very grateful to Sure and the Breaking Limits programme for giving these students the opportunity to learn new leadership skills and behaviours over the last few weeks.
“To move their journey forwards, all graduates will put their learning into practice by volunteering at their local Special Olympics GB club. By supporting our clubs at regular training sessions and club events, they will gain the necessary volunteering hours to become qualified sports leaders.
“Hopefully, this can be the start of an exciting coaching career for these young sports leaders.”
Students from Portland College will now join up with Special Olympics Nottinghamshire whilst the students from Eccles College will support Special Olympics Greater Manchester.
For further information about the Sure Breaking Limits Sports Leaders programme with Special Olympics GB, please contact Connor Fellow via email.