Mentoring has had a profound effect on Keanna Arnett’s life – and Levelling the Playing Field’s mentoring support will help that positive impact spread across our Local Delivery Partners in England and Wales.
For Keanna, mentoring played a vital role in her transformation from a shy participant to qualified personal trainer and confident employee at Sport 4 Life.
Sport 4 Life are a Local Delivery Partner for Levelling the Playing in the West Midlands. They use sport as a ‘hook’ to engage young people and guide them towards sustained education, employment or training.
When Keanna first engged with the organisation, she admits she was “not where she wanted to be”, as a young mum working on a zero-hours contract as a waitress.
She’s now employed by Sport 4 Life to work with young people on their programme and is taking her final qualification to realise her dream of becoming a personal trainer.
The mentoring support Keanna received on this journey was hugely significant – and shows the rich value of the support that Levelling the Playing Field’s applicable Local Delivery Partners will be able to offer their participants after staff have undergone our Level 3 Workforce Mentoring qualification.
For Keanna, mentoring played a vital role in her transformation from a shy participant to qualified personal trainer and confident employee at Sport 4 Life.
Sport 4 Life are a Local Delivery Partner for Levelling the Playing in the West Midlands. They use sport as a ‘hook’ to engage young people and guide them towards sustained education, employment or training.
When Keanna first engged with the organisation, she admits she was “not where she wanted to be”, as a young mum working on a zero-hours contract as a waitress.
She’s now employed by Sport 4 Life to work with young people on their programme and is taking her final qualification to realise her dream of becoming a personal trainer.
The mentoring support Keanna received on this journey was hugely significant – and shows the rich value of the support that Levelling the Playing Field’s applicable Local Delivery Partners will be able to offer their participants after staff have undergone our Level 3 Workforce Mentoring qualification.
Local Delivery Partners who offer one-to-one support to participants will also receive access to a free laptop, a specialised mentoring app and a two-day workshop to co-develop a local mentoring structure in their area.
These new skills and resources will empower our partners to achieve our common goals: increase the number of ethnically diverse children taking part in sport; and prevent and divert them from becoming involved with the Criminal Justice System.
For Keanna, 24, the benefits of mentoring were obvious. “I think [having a mentor] has been really important for me,” she says. “Not many young people have that.
“When you go to school they give you the tools and say, ‘go out there and do it’. Having a mentor after that to ask for help in certain areas – whether it’s doing your CV, interview practice or job searching – just to encourage you and motivate you, is really important.”
Keanna has had several mentors who have guided her through the Sports Leaders and Level 2 fitness training qualifications with Sport 4 Life and she is now only a practical exam away from being a fully qualified PT.
These new skills and resources will empower our partners to achieve our common goals: increase the number of ethnically diverse children taking part in sport; and prevent and divert them from becoming involved with the Criminal Justice System.
For Keanna, 24, the benefits of mentoring were obvious. “I think [having a mentor] has been really important for me,” she says. “Not many young people have that.
“When you go to school they give you the tools and say, ‘go out there and do it’. Having a mentor after that to ask for help in certain areas – whether it’s doing your CV, interview practice or job searching – just to encourage you and motivate you, is really important.”
Keanna has had several mentors who have guided her through the Sports Leaders and Level 2 fitness training qualifications with Sport 4 Life and she is now only a practical exam away from being a fully qualified PT.
“I would say they’ve had a big, really positive effect on my life,” she reflects. “They’ve put me in a position to get the career that I wanted. They helped me with qualifications and given me experience of working with people.”
Keanna thinks the experience of having been a participant with Sport 4 Life herself has given her an empathy with the young people on their programmes she now works with as a leader and role model.
“It’s been very useful because I can relate to feelings of not being where you want to be [in life], needing help and getting that help and sympathy from Sport 4 Life.
Keanna thinks the experience of having been a participant with Sport 4 Life herself has given her an empathy with the young people on their programmes she now works with as a leader and role model.
“It’s been very useful because I can relate to feelings of not being where you want to be [in life], needing help and getting that help and sympathy from Sport 4 Life.
“Right now my work with young people is on a one-to-one basis which is essential experience for a personal trainer.
"I’ve definitely had to learn along the way. I’ve always been quite a shy person and I never thought I'd be able to stand up and teach or make presentations. That was something I never did at school, but now I’m learning and in a better position to do that.”
“I definitely go into it with a bit more confidence. If I hadn’t had the experience with Sport 4 Life I’d say, ‘No thanks, I don’t want to do it!’”
"I’ve definitely had to learn along the way. I’ve always been quite a shy person and I never thought I'd be able to stand up and teach or make presentations. That was something I never did at school, but now I’m learning and in a better position to do that.”
“I definitely go into it with a bit more confidence. If I hadn’t had the experience with Sport 4 Life I’d say, ‘No thanks, I don’t want to do it!’”
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Brandon, 16, is another Sport 4 Life participant who is hugely thankful for the mentoring support they offer.
Struggling in Year 11 at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic last year, Brandon was put in touch with Sport 4 Life and undertook the Sports Leaders qualification as well as joining in with weekly Friday night football sessions, where he made lots of new friends.
Brandon, 16, is another Sport 4 Life participant who is hugely thankful for the mentoring support they offer.
Struggling in Year 11 at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic last year, Brandon was put in touch with Sport 4 Life and undertook the Sports Leaders qualification as well as joining in with weekly Friday night football sessions, where he made lots of new friends.
“Sport 4 Life has played a big role in my life, there’s no doubt,” he said. “Through lockdown my mentor Don was always checking; have you applied for college? Have you checked your emails? It was really very, very helpful and encouraging.
“If I didn’t have that mentoring time in that period I don’t know what on earth I’d have done except sleeping. To have a mentor checking up on me every three days during that first lockdown was a booster. It was like having a coaching figure to help me wake up and do some activity.
“Getting outdoors and socialising at the Sport 4 Life sessions is so interesting. Playing football is a good vibe. The groups are my age and you get the chance to see how everybody else is doing. I’ve met lots of people I didn’t know before and the coaches really are great people.
Having enjoyed the Sports Leaders and car mechanics course he accessed through Sport 4 Life and been encouraged to complete Year 11, Brandon is now studying A-levels in Law and 3D design and a B-Tec in Business at college. “They’re heavy courses; it’s all writing but it’s actually very interesting,” he says.
“Sport 4 Life has had a significant impact,” Brandon concludes. “It’s showed me this pathway which is going straight to the right door. Before that, I was going in all different directions. It’s given me that boost I needed.”
Find out more about Levelling the Playing Field's mentoring training for our Local Delivery Partners here.
Read more about Sport 4 Life, our partners in the West Midlands, here.
“If I didn’t have that mentoring time in that period I don’t know what on earth I’d have done except sleeping. To have a mentor checking up on me every three days during that first lockdown was a booster. It was like having a coaching figure to help me wake up and do some activity.
“Getting outdoors and socialising at the Sport 4 Life sessions is so interesting. Playing football is a good vibe. The groups are my age and you get the chance to see how everybody else is doing. I’ve met lots of people I didn’t know before and the coaches really are great people.
Having enjoyed the Sports Leaders and car mechanics course he accessed through Sport 4 Life and been encouraged to complete Year 11, Brandon is now studying A-levels in Law and 3D design and a B-Tec in Business at college. “They’re heavy courses; it’s all writing but it’s actually very interesting,” he says.
“Sport 4 Life has had a significant impact,” Brandon concludes. “It’s showed me this pathway which is going straight to the right door. Before that, I was going in all different directions. It’s given me that boost I needed.”
Find out more about Levelling the Playing Field's mentoring training for our Local Delivery Partners here.
Read more about Sport 4 Life, our partners in the West Midlands, here.