A group of pupils at Alderwood School in Aldershot have been growing in confidence on the basketball court thanks to an Army Welfare Service community support team initiative.
Sarah Magee and Agnieszka Tikoisuva teamed up with Detti Balla from The Source charity to deliver tailored programmes to support young people from both military and civilian families during the pandemic.
The would-be sports stars discovered a real passion for basketball and created a weekly after-school club in their local park. As part of the project, young people also used music, storytelling and poetry to explore and better understand what makes up a person’s identity.
Those taking part said they had enjoyed creating a safe space in school where they felt listened to and developed strong friendships. One pupil said: “I have found this group helpful as I struggle in school and get into trouble sometimes.”
One new pupil at the school found it helpful to share stories about the challenges of moving around and said that the group had helped with settling in and making new friends. And as is often the way in military life, some of the group even discovered they’d lived in the same places at different times.
Head to your local HIVE to see the AWS projects and activities that are going on in your area.