We are a community based and community focused charity which currently has 280 female members in the age range 7 - 24. Many of the young females that we engage with on a weekly basis are excluded and marginalised and have a poor history of engagement in school and mainstream support services. A significant number of these young females are furthest removed from education and employment and experience a cocktail of poverty related issues and challenges which have an adverse impact on their personal development. These issues and challenges can include poor inclusion, low confidence and self-esteem, poor self-image, poor mental wellbeing, poor resilience, poor behaviour linked to alcohol and drug misuse. Some have been/are engaged with social services and are disaffected, failing to engage in mainstream learning and development opportunities.
These young females are passionate about football and fully engage in twice weekly coaching/training sessions, and organised football matches on weekends. Regular engagement with our football volunteer coaches and staff members provides us with the opportunity to build strong, trusting relationships with these females and to gradually integrate them to the support services which our organisation delivers to support them to improve their learning, educational attainment and skills and experience for employment. These support activities include: an in-house learning centre, volunteer activities project, peer mentoring programme, and transnational vocational education project.