AIMS & OBJECTIVES

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Aims and Objectives

Real United Football Mentoring Academy is a community football club which was developed in May 2008. It was primarily set up to reduce substance misuse and related criminal activity amongst young people in Nottingham. The key aims of the project are:

- To encourage individuals to emphasise their positive rather than negative qualities.

- To improve their self-confidence and motivation in order to help move onto educational programmes that prepare them properly for a working life.

- To develop positive skills to manage conflict, anger and an understanding and acceptance of consequences.

- To develop positive relationships with their peers and mentors

- To develop strengths and talents whilst demonstrating how these skills are transferable.

Why The Project is needed?

The project is needed in order to develop a set of cohesive values amongst young men from diverse cultural and religious backgrounds at risk re-offending within Nottingham. The project also acts as a conduit for enhancing the educational experiences of those with poor self-esteem, emotional and behavioural difficulties. The goal being to develop their confidence and motivation and for them to identify personal strategies to help them move towards a positive future acquiring skills and an appreciation of self-empowerment so that they are prepared for future education, training or work opportunities.

The Mission Statement

To engage with young people aged 11-24 who would be at risk of substance misuse. By developing preventative strategies of eradicating substance misuse and drug prevention as well as developing educational workshops designed to address long-term harm reduction.

Benefits/Features of Real Utd Football Mentoring Academy

Real United members have extensive experience of working with young adults from diverse cultural backgrounds. Other members have gained over 10 years experience working in the community and voluntary sector in Nottingham and the transferable skills such as mentoring, raising self-esteem and confidence and drawing upon direct effects of substance misuse are areas that we can harness with the specific client group.

Real United Football Mentoring Academy is also best placed as the manager has had direct experience of substance misuse and turned his own life around to become a semi-professional player and eventually manager of Real United. The volunteers associated with the project are in a unique position to pass on invaluable advice around self-empowerment and participating in educational programmes. It has a feelance business consultant who has acquired had over 14 years experience of developing unique educational projects, targeted at excluded learners, ex-offenders, substance misusers, designed to enhance the direct educational experiences of similar client groups within Nottingham.

Core Values

Real United has had an impact on the wider on the community as it has acted as a pro-active strategy in developing confidence and self-esteem of the individuals. Secondly, as the programme places a strong emphasis on developing the self-worth of the players to become better citizens within their community, they in turn have gained a desire to act as mentors for young people who were at risk of entering into a life of crime and drugs.