Young Ambassadors

Child A case study : 

Child A has been part of our programmes since 2013. They are one of six siblings from a lone parent household. Their mother would sign up the children onto the multi-sports camp every holiday to keep the children occupied over the holidays. Initially, Child A was very shy and introverted, and they didn’t enjoy being physically active. They would sometimes hide between trees and find excuses to avoid participating. As the years went by, Child A became more familiar with the coaches and started making friends with regular participants. They began to engage more and enjoyed attending the programme.

Child A’s eldest sister was one of our first young ambassadors. The role models such as his sister and coaches within the programmes allowed Child A to flourish within the multi-sport camp as the programmes went by, eventually developing a fond interest for sports. Child A eventually moved up into ambassador programme, following in the step of their older sibling. As Child A moved into the next stage of our programme, they made multiple friends, leading to them gaining a sense of community and belonging, providing them a reason to stay.

Child A has gained several qualifications during their time with Burgess Sports. These include sports activator courses, first aid, safeguarding, and, most recently, a Level 2 qualification in multi-sports, which qualifies them as a sports coach.

In 2022, Child A transitioned from being one of our young volunteers to a paid part-time position at our after-school reading club. The club was attended by 10 different children on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays which provided an excellent opportunity for Child A to start coaching a small group and work 1-1 with the children in reading. Delivering sessions at the after-school club gradually boosted Child A's confidence in leading various sports activities for the children. After being assessed by our team of coaches, we agreed as that Child A was ready to deliver sports activities at our multi-sports camp. Since the summer of 2022, after being with us for 11 years, Child A has reached the top of our young ambassador ladder and has become an outstanding sports coach.

“When I first came to Burgess as a participant, I didn’t like it and kept to myself and was a nuisance to the coaches at the time, hiding away from everyone. Despite this, as I got older, they still took me on as an ambassador putting me on many courses to improve my skills and confidence, allowing me to coach sessions with assistance from them and eventually becoming a level 2 qualified multi sports coach, now working for Burgess Sports. With Burgess I have learned a lot about what it means to work in a team, but above all else the greatest lesson that I learnt from my time with burgess is the importance of community and they to this day the people here act as an extended family for me and I hope to stay in touch with them frequently even as I move into my next stages of life”.