The Empowering Youth Foundation is a registered charity specialising in increasing the transferable skills and independent creativity of young people through golf training sessions.
Thanks to a Sport Relief Community Cash grant of £1000, the Empowering Youth Foundation was able to pay for professional golfing and life-skills coaches who assisted 120 young disabled participants in Wrexham during the Spring and Summer of 2014. It was also able to purchase coaching kit, from golf balls to flags, fast-paced launchers and precision targets. Vitally, medals were also purchased, allowing the young competitors to be rewarded for their progress from casual player to golfing enthusiast.
One of the participants who completed the programme, Emma said - “I have really enjoyed taking part in the golf sessions because it has taught me the importance of teamwork and sportsmanship within all sport. The nine core values are all equally important but I used honesty, respect and sportsmanship a lot when we were working in our groups.” By structuring the training around the game of golf, the charity is able to use the expertise and energy of its trainers to highlight the transferable life skills young people can learn playing sport. Emma described herself as “much more confident in, and out, of school now” and suggested that “I learnt to stay positive – because if you try really hard and think positive, you can get anything right.”
Because of its good management of the grant, the charity was also able to arrange sessions with two additional groups – the first being a charity called Your Space Wales, which provides a fun, safe place to play for children with autism. And the charity was also able to run sessions at Queensway’s ‘The Venture’ – a community space where children and young people can freely play and access services which help them achieve their true potential. The charity will be working with both organisations again this year.
