3rd June 2024
Sanctuary Supported Living
Dame Kelly Holmes Trust puts world-class athletes shoulder to shoulder with young people.
Sanctuary Supported Living’s partnership with Dame Kelly Holmes Trust, supported by our Sustainable Communities programme, has been instrumental in empowering young people across our services in Basildon, Brighton, Weston-Super-Mare, and Hartlepool. This youth-centric project ran from June to November 2023, focusing on building soft skills, confidence, self-esteem, resilience, and key employability skills.
Designed by young people for young people, the programme was developed based on insights from discussions led by athlete mentors and positive role models from the Dame Kelly Holmes Trust - Hannah Beharry, Claire Bennett, Liz Johnson, and Jenny Wallwork – who engaged with staff and young people across 14 Sanctuary Supported Living services. The key themes that emerged included the need for flexibility, a focus on improving self-esteem, confidence, interaction/communication skills, teamwork skills, and motivation.
The programme format was designed to be flexible to young people’s needs, offering them the opportunity to choose from individual or group mentorship and their preferred personal growth topics. Participants could engage in up to 20 sessions across three phases: ‘On Your Marks’ for unity and goal setting, ‘Get Set’ for team building and growth, and ‘Go’ to reflect and celebrate progress.
"The programme format was designed to be flexible to young people’s needs."
The intended programme outcomes for young people were to increase their confidence, resilience, and self-esteem, improve their physical and mental wellbeing, develop their employability skills, raise their aspirations and expectations on future life goals, and increase their community connectedness.
The impact results were impressive, based on feedback received from participants who responded:
- 100% of young people reporting an increase in their wellbeing
- 82% in self-efficacy or self-belief
- 73% an improvement in their self-esteem.
In terms of employability skills:
- 71% of participants reported improvements
- 64% reported a rise in their overall aspirations and expectations.
Case studies further illustrated the remarkable effects of the programme. Alfie, a resident in Basildon, reported increased confidence and motivation, while Darcie found the programme supported her to overcome isolation and set personal goals. In Brighton, the programme helped young people develop presentation skills, and feel more self-assured.
Our collaboration with Dame Kelly Holmes Trust has made a real difference in the lives of young people who took part across our services. As we look forward to continuing this transformative work, we remain dedicated to nurturing connections and resilience among our customers and their communities — a commitment demonstrated by our partnership.
To find out more about life with Sanctuary Supported Living, read about the support we offer for young people, read our latest news, or find a service near you.
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