Posted: 04/06/14
Football forges community friendships
A football tournament brought young people and businesses figures together at the weekend to embrace community spirit.
Current and previous participants of the Inspire and Achieve Foundation
Organised by The Inspire and Achieve Foundation, the Twinning Football Tournament saw 11-a-side matches played between students from West Nottinghamshire College, young unemployed people and representatives from businesses.
Representatives from AS Plant Ltd, The Halifax, 1st Passive Fire Ltd and Lloyds Bank joined 24 young people from the college and The Inspire and Achieve Foundation for mixed team matches on Sunday (1 June).
The tournament took place at Yeoman Hill Park in Mansfield Woodhouse, which played host to the Big Lunch organised by The Halifax. The aim of the Big Lunch is – an idea created by the Eden Project – is to get as many people as possible across the UK to have lunch with their neighbours.
The Inspire and Achieve Foundation was launched in 2008 by the college’s principal Dame Asha Khemka OBE, DBE. It provides outreach projects and activities to young people aged 16-24 who are not in education, employment or training (NEET); some of whom are young offenders or come from disadvantaged families.
The foundation aims to help NEET people in Mansfield and Ashfield take positive steps towards, and ultimately to gain, employment or training. Through engagement with young people via projects such as the ‘Shining Stars’ young parents’ group, the ‘Impact’ boxing sessions and the ‘Strike’ football games, the foundation offers mentoring and advice and guidance.
The tournament was won by a team sponsored by AS Plant Ltd who played in a final against the Lloyds Bank team, with the true winners of the day being the young people, with one unemployed young person being offered a job by their new business contacts.
Director of The Inspire and Achieve Foundation Philippa Carter said: “One of the things we encourage with young people who engage with the foundation and our projects is teamwork, respect and discipline.
“All of these attributes shone out on Sunday from the young people and everyone really enjoyed playing in the mixed matches. It gave our business friends a chance to talk to the young people who have taken part in our projects over the last year and really brought fresh confidence to some of our more reserved participants.”
