Street Elite, delivered by our Strategic Partner The Change Foundation, is a nine-month programme that uses sport and long-term mentoring to engage with young people who are impacted by violence, crime or inequality.
Street Elite works with vulnerable 18-25 year olds across London and Birmingham, many of whom are profoundly disengaged and may not be in touch with any other agencies or support. On average, 80% of the young people taking part in the programme successfully move into work, college or university. Many of them have moved into roles with Berkeley Group or their supply chain.
At the end of the programme, the cohorts help to deliver a local sports festival for school children. It’s a chance for the young people to demonstrate their new skills and also give something back to their communities.
An opportunity for students to try new sports
Across June and July, the Foundation held three Street Elite festivals and one graduation event. We started in Birmingham, where 140 children from local schools came along to Nechells Leisure Centre. They spent the day trying sports like boxing, street dance and tennis, and even made their own smoothies using a special smoothie bike.
Next up was Lambeth, where the festival was held in partnership with Henry Fawcett primary school. Combining the festival with their traditional sports day proved a huge hit, and local MP Florence Eshalomi attended to congratulate the graduates from the Lambeth young women’s cohort.
Shedaine Henry, one of the coaches at The Change Foundation explains:
“This year the majority of our female cohort are young mothers. We’ve provided them childcare and creche access to enable them to access exercise, employment and mentoring sessions via Street Elite. We want to empower them to take back their independence and realise that they can have a fulfilling job.”
The third festival tool place at The Green Quarter, a Berkeley Group development in Southall. Over 220 children from eight schools came along and had a brilliant day. They were joined by the Mayor of Ealing, Cllr Hitesh Tailor, and other local stakeholders who got stuck in with the activities. They were also able to speak to the young people on Street Elite, who shared their experiences and discussed their plans for the future.
Mohamed, Street Elite graduate said:
“I met Street Elite when Dean came up to me and some of my friends at my local corner. He spoke to us about playing some football and if we were interested in work. I went to Street Elite and I loved it, I had so much fun and met other people which helped me make more friends. Street Elite has given me so many opportunities to learn and build my self-confidence.
I have also built a connection with Dean who was my mentor and I look up to him like an older brother. Street Elite has offered me a lot of opportunities, skills and jobs which is hard to get at the age of 17.”
Celebrating the achievements
Our final event was a graduation for the Brent cohort. For the first time, The Change Foundation trialled a tri-borough approach, where the young people participated in Street Elite from neighbouring boroughs. Dean Lamb, Senior Coach Mentor explains:
“Street Elite in Brent has helped to break down borders between boroughs, and has improved social cohesion. We’re looking forward to expanding the tri-borough approach to more areas next year and hopefully seeing the same great results.“
The next and final stage of the Street Elite programme is the work placement phase. The Foundation team is working closely with The Change Foundation and Berkeley Group to line up work experience opportunities for the young people. We’re really excited to hear how they get on!