Geri Leigh Branigan is proud to be guiding and supporting ethnically diverse children at InPower in Wolverhampton – because she knows how vital sport and role models can be.

Geri Leigh (pictured on the right, above) has begun a 16-month Community Sport and Health Officer (CSHO) apprenticeship with InPower, who use boxing and martial arts to engage children at-risk of entering, or already involved with, the Criminal Justice System. Her course is the first of many apprenticeship opportunities that Levelling the Playing Field is rolling out in partnership with Aspire Training Solutions (UK) Ltd across our specialist partners in England.

Whilst at school, sport and physical activity and the discipline and guidance Geri Leigh received at InPower changed the course of her life when, by her own admission, she was “heading down the wrong path”.

From being on the verge of exclusion from school (“I had a massive fear of failure so I never really tried in class,” she admits), two and a half years later she was named Head Girl. Having now progressed through college, her passion is to become the same inspiring role model to young people that InPower CEO Daryl Chambers was to her.

Daryl reached out to Levelling the Playing Field for support with two apprenticeships for Geri Leigh and another young person who had come through the InPower ranks as participants, then became volunteers and had shown potential to be outstanding coaches and mentors.

The CSHO apprenticeship, a Level 3 qualification run by training providers Aspire Training Solutions (UK) Ltd, was a perfect fit for Geri Leigh. CSHO apprentices play an important role in improving health and wellbeing by delivering fun, inclusive and engaging activities that bring about positive change in physical activity habits.

The training develops and enhances coaching skills and equips learners to work in a variety of environments and participants and in partnership with others.

Another apprentice at InPower is undertaking Aspire’s Level 2 Community Activator Coach qualification. Both roles are 95% funded by the Government’s Kickstart apprenticeship scheme.

'LOVING IT'

Geri Leigh is just a couple of months into her CSHO course and is already loving it. She says: “I’ve always been into sport but the main thing I’ve always wanted to do is work with young people who are disadvantaged or not getting on too great in life. I want to be the influence that Daryl was on me.

“I did Criminology at college and originally wanted to go into law or social work, but after having the opportunity of this two-year apprenticeship, I think this is a much more hands-on way to be able to directly influence the direction of young people’s lives.”

Geri Leigh works a lot with girls, teaching them the basics of boxing and mentoring those who lack confidence in sport and physical activity. She also goes into schools, plans and delivers lessons and especially excels at engaging young people who tend to sit on the sidelines by encouraging and cajoling them into taking part.

"That feeling of being a role model is so fulfilling,” she reflects. “This is a job, but it doesn’t feel like a job. It’s something that I’m excited to do every day. I just love interacting with these young people.”

Her work is important in connecting ethnically diverse young people with the opportunities offered by InPower, this dynamic and highly impactful organisation right in the heart of their community. The CSHO role is also integral to InPower contributing towards LtPF’s common goals:

• Increase the number of ethnically diverse children taking part in sport and physical activity
• Prevent and divert ethnically diverse children from being involved in the Criminal Justice System

Geri Leigh is certainly no stranger to the difference that sport, mentoring and positive role models can have on young people.

“It’s definitely made a huge impact on my life because I was on the brink of exclusion. I was hanging around with the wrong friendship groups and not getting on well at school. Then Daryl came and did an assembly at my school and everything changed from that moment.

“I went from having no-one there to listen, to having that person in my life. It just changes your life for the better completely. The moment you know that you’re heard, you’ve got someone you want to make proud of you and you’ve got a point to prove to someone, everything changes.

“I feel like for some young people, proving something to themselves isn’t all that important – but making someone else proud because they believe in you and you don’t want to disappoint them, that’s different. InPower definitely had that effect on me and now I want to pass that effect on to as many other young people as possible.”

Levelling the Playing Field is now rolling out apprenticeship opportunities for our other specialist partners across England, with a view to expanding to our partners in Gwent in the future.

'MAKING BETTER CHOICES'

Nikki Clamp from training providers Aspire says the apprenticeships are benefiting our partner organisations and their ethnically diverse participants in many ways.

“We’re working to professionally develop staff as mentors for young people, to ensure they are engaging in physical activity and using that as a vehicle for dialogue about making better choices around their wellbeing and lifestyle,” she says.

The CSHO apprenticeship includes a multi-skills coaching award, the PE and School Sport certificate, CPD in health and wellbeing, mental health and physical activity, and sport-specific training. “It’s not just an off-the-shelf course,” Nikki explains. “It’s moulded around the employer’s needs and the apprentice’s skillset and future aspirations. It goes far deeper than simply sport activity, it’s around using sport to achieve behaviour change in young people.

“Because the apprentices are of the same generation as those they’re working with, they act as powerful and relatable positive role models and ambassadors for positive choices. When organisations develop their workforce in this way, it can really embed what they’re trying to achieve, improve their sustainability, deepen the conversations they have with young people and raise their aspirations.”