Get On Track
Really NEET partnered with the Dame Kelly Holmes Trust to deliver 5 Get on Track programmes in Sheffield, Doncaster and Barnsley. Our Youth Workers worked with the Trust’s athlete mentors to engage with disengaged young people.
Get on Track is split into four stages. On Your Marks, Get Set, Go and Keep In Touch.
On Your Marks is the first stage of the programme where learning activities are used to improve the communication, teamwork and resilience of the young people and help form a bond between the group and the athlete mentors. This is a three day engagement activity full of high energy sessions designed to build a group of young people into a team to go through the programme together
Get Set is the next stage, where our athletes and partners work to improve the soft skills and the employability prospects of the young people on the programme. Get Set is broken into two sections, Self Discovery and Employable You.
The Self Discovery phase looks to take people out of their comfort zone and build them towards a Social Action project. The phase is around building confidence, communication, self belief and to challenge poor habits or lifestyle choices. They also undertake activities they probably won’t have experienced before such as climbing, abseiling or rafting. These sessions are designed to stretch the group and get them out of their comfort zones, helping to make them more adaptable to change in the real world and understand how much they can achieve. The final project is to organise a Social Action project which could take the shape of a community fun day, working to improve local facilities or fundraising of some sort.
Employable You focuses on the practical skills that can help a young person move closer to employment. The learning is interspersed with time meeting and networking with local employers and will include specific qualifications, work experience, CV writing and interview practice. At the end of this phase, the group face a ‘Dragon’s Den’ style panel where they can utilise the skills they have developed in front of potential employers.
Throughout these weeks, the athlete mentors will work with members of the group on a one to one basis to support them in the transition to the next stage of their personal journeys.
Go is the event planned and delivered by the group to celebrate their journey and highlight the achievements throughout the programme. Each event is individual but contains a presentation element where young people will speak in front of an audience containing friends, family and peers, cementing their development and building on their new found confidence. Guests who can offer exit routes in to employment, training, education or volunteering are also invited along to meet the group.
During the final Keep In Touch phase, the group meets at set intervals to offer ongoing support for a further 12 months. The purpose of these sessions is to bring the young people together and to continue the positive network they have created. Keep In Touch session are flexible and take place around the lives of the young people – for example, Keep In Touch sessions have been held at open evenings at colleges and universities and business networking events.
