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Tendring - Young people raising funds for a hospice and engaging with the media

About

M has been known to Inclusion Ventures for several years.  He had a poor reputation amongst his peers in the early years mainly because he remained unemployed since leaving school.  M moved away from the area for sometime before returning nearly two years ago, he returned to the area having become a father. He is 25 years old and out of Inclusion Ventures age range but as a familiar face was welcome to join football sessions.

 

Two months ago M, still unemployed, approached staff and asked if they would hold a charity football match to raise money for St Helena’s Hospice. The charity was important to him as several of his family members had died of cancer.

Inclusion Ventures did a fair amount of background work to arrange the match, but M initiated approaching Clacton Football Club, and encouraged many local people to come and support the evening.  Inclusion Ventures had a record number of young people wanting to play, 20 in total, due to M’s enthusiasm.  Inclusion Ventures were particularly proud of their three 14 year olds who played fantastically against a team from Morrison’s Supermarket of largely 20 plus year olds. 

 

Inclusion Ventures were especially proud when M contacted the local Gazette to promote the event. He talked at length, to the journalist, about Inclusion Ventures and the work they do.  Inclusion Ventures were all disappointed when the article appeared, just a few lines at the bottom of page 2.  M was particularly upset as the article described the players as “boys from the estate”. He felt this was a negative slur when actually the lads were doing something very worthy.  He telephoned the Gazette office to voice his disappointment. Inclusion Ventures were proud to hear him assert himself in a calm and concise manner, and were quite moved.

 

It was at the match that Inclusion Ventures were approached by a Channel 4 film crew. It was thanks to them that M finally got his chance to be heard as they were so impressed they asked to film him walking around the estate to talk them through the changes he had seen over the years.

 

This was the lad once considered a write off! Inclusion Ventures were of course pleased to praise his huge achievement in not only raising £500 for St Helena’s but for the maturity and motivation he showed throughout.

 

We now hope to build on M’s motivation and ability to motivate local people, by giving him the lead on our allotment scheme, and are working on gaining funding to employ him part-time.

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