NEWS

NICHOLAS BREAKSPEAR SPORTS COLLEGE PLAYING THEIR PART IN LONDON 2012'S INTERNATIONAL LEGACY

Tanya Angus(Partnership Development manager) and Amanda Robinson (Competition manager) have just returned from a visit to South Africa as part of London 2012 International Inspiration, a key strand of the international legacy of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games for children and young people around the world. 

Launched by Gordon Brown in India last year, International Inspiration uses the power of sport to change lives of children and young people around the world. It empowers young people, many in difficult situations in their countries, to become leaders in their schools and communities, building their confidence and self esteem, as well as encouraging them to realise their ambition and full potential. They then become powerful advocates for change, helping others to improve their lives. 

Our partnership is with Segale Middle School in the North West province, about five hours drive North of Johannesburg. It is a rural school set in a tribal village with approximately 400 students, many of whom travel miles each day to school. During the visit we took assemblies and taught new activities to students, teachers and sports coaches, including rounders, parachute games and multiskills activities. Tanya and Amanda organised competitions and worked with some of the students to train them as young leaders to ensure they would be able to support competitions in the future.

"The students were so keen and enthusiastic to learn, had a great respect for education and were totally inspired by our visit - a truly humbling experience for us both".

We were also honoured to be greeted by the King and watch a traditional dance performance by the students. We also visited and spoke to students in the surrounding primary schools before returning to Johannesburg for a day conference with representatives from the South African Department of Education and Youth Sports Trust.

We are now developing a three year plan to link the two schools and create greater opportunities for the students. In March 2010 we look forward to welcoming two members of staff from Segale to spend time with us at Nicholas Breakspear.

As Seb Coe, Chair of London 2012 said: "Our vision is to use the power of the Games to inspire change - and changing lives is the driving force behind our plans. We took a very clear promise to Singapore - to encourage the youth of the world to choose sport - and Nicholas Breakspear's involvement is another key step towards delivering that promise. Sport can be a great force for good, and the International Inspiration programme will play a real role in improving the lives of young people around the world through sport." 

Introducing our new Partnership Ambassadors

These students have been chosen as Ambassadors as they have demonstrated excellent leadership skills and exceptional sporting performance.

Well done, and we hope you enjoy your year.

St Albans District Sports Awards

The District Sports Awards took place on July 8^th. The awards recognise and celebrate the achievements of Community Sport Clubs, the Special Olympics and the School Sports Partnership. The special guest presenting awards was former Olympian Mark Richardson. Congratulations to all the winners and we look forward to receiving your nominations for the awards next year.