Today, we’re delighted to highlight a City Inspires Social Action project undertaken by Year 8 students at the Oasis Academy Leesbrook, in Oldham. As part of this project, students were tasked by the Premier League Inspires programme, to develop a Social Action project with the aim of raising Mental Health Awareness within our communities.
After considering several approaches to the task, the students decided to celebrate their diversity and multi-linguistic skills. Amplifying their message through football, the class created a video to celebrate Mental Health Awareness Week and highlighting how playing football and physical exercise can relate to good mental health.
With the students in the class representing diverse linguistic backgrounds, the pupils wanted to reach as wide an audience as possible. Whether in English, Catalan, Spanish, Welsh, Romanian, Urdu, Parsi, Italian or Spanish, the pupils delivered their message using their dual language talents.
The class also designed complementary posters to support their message, on display within school buildings.
Peter Bradshaw - City In the Community Inspires Coach, said:
It’s been a great Social Action project to work on with the students, and its been fantastic to see them own and shape the project around the skills of the group.
To see the class work together, encourage each other and celebrate their individuality as well as common ground has been a real highlight, so well done everybody.
Sam Jones – Assistant Principal at Oasis Academy Leesbrook, added:
The introduction of the City Inspires programme has been such a success at Leesbrook. The cohorts, past and present have all made such fantastic progress; not only in their academic studies, but as individuals.
The way in which it has improved their IT skills, resilience and confidence has been transformational for them. More importantly, we consistently see them looking out for each other, as one big family which is an integral part of what we’re striving to achieve here.
The City Inspires programme is part of CITC’s Healthy Futures activity for school children aged 11-16 in partner schools in Greater Manchester. Partnered with the Premier League, City Inspires aims to use the appeal of Manchester City to work with secondary school learners who are at risk of not reaching their potential, and to support them through the education system and early adulthood.
CITC coaches deliver a high-quality education curriculum that inspires pupils to succeed and excel academically, physically and socially, providing an opportunity for pupils to learn essential life skills, with a focus of improving their engagement in education, prosocial behaviours and mental well-being.
CITC’s mental health programme recently launched in January 2021, and has been funded by ‘Cityzens Giving for Recovery’; an initiative which aims to make a positive difference in response to the COVID-19 pandemic via targeted projects near each of City Football Group’s ten clubs.
To help this new project continue for a second year, when many are still feeling the effects of COVID-19 on their mental wellbeing, we’ve launched a special Carabao Cup Final auction! Bids close at 5pm on the 20th May”
