Evan's Story
Traditional school settings hadn’t worked for Evan, but since joining the Junior Apprenticeship programme and developing a close bond with his Foundation mentor, his outlook on education has now changed.
Nirushan first became a part of our Premier League Kicks project as a participant after positive conversations with our coaches and staff at Grange Gardens, in Grangetown.
From the local area, Nirushan used our sessions to stay active and meet new people – building positive relationships with people his own age and allowing him to take part in consistent activities that his school couldn’t provide.
Working closely with our coaches and staff at Grange Pavilion, Nirushan made the most of the opportunities we had to offer, building his skills, networking with others and eventually setting up the Youth Forum that he now leads on.
Working collaboratively with us, the Grange Pavilion Youth Forum has used the power of football to support young people with personal development through workshops and Nirushan believes this has contributed to making Grangetown a safer community.
“A lot of the time, young people from this area (Grangetown) usually just come back from school and have nothing to do. Having a free prevision like Premier League Kicks is a massive deal – it keeps them active, supports their mental wellbeing and provides a safe area for them to have fun.
“We know that there can be issues with young people hanging around the streets and there’s potential for them to be pressured into doing things they don’t want to do. Having a space for them to come and play football, be active and have opportunities for them to develop themselves can only be positive.”
