Through our Partner Schools Programme, we were able to engage with Charlie and help him to flourish both in activities and at school.
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Finding a lack of enthusiasm for school, Geoff was unsure about what he could do in the future.
During his time at Shrewsbury Academy, Geoff struggled to find enthusiasm for learning and as a result was disruptive in class becoming disengaged with lessons. In his final year at school he was recognised as an ideal candidate for one to one sessions based at Shrewsbury Town to help with his behaviour and give him clarity as to what he could do following education.
In these sessions he was introduced to Nigel, one of our Inclusive Sports Coordinators, who worked with Geoff on a weekly basis to discuss his barriers and find a way to overcome them. Through his hard work and perseverance, Geoff was able to use these sessions to grow his skills and discover a passion for sport.
Since Nigel started mentoring Geoff, his school noted that he started to take ownership over his own learning, shown through him taking it upon himself to visit Nigel during lunch and break to give updates on how his day was going and has also began to help out with lunchtime activities for younger year groups. As a reward for his hard-work and changing attitude towards learning, Geoff was invited to a few Shrewsbury Town home games at the end of the season where he was able to shadow members of the matchday staff, helping to deliver tours of the stadium and other pre-match activities to show him what working opportunities are available within a football club and give him an idea of where his hard work could end up.
When Geoff returned to school following the Easter break, he was taken off report for the first time, demonstrating the progress he has made and the difference the mentoring has had.
Geoff is now attending Shrewsbury College continuing his studies in sport. In addition to this he is our Matchday Ball Retriever coordinator as part of our Volunteer Academy, helping to organise the ball retrievers and look after them during Shrewsbury Town home games.
will stand side by side with him as he faces this latest challenge.
We want to provide opportunities to help individuals achieve their goals and realise their potential, but we can only do this with your support.