Motivating students to reach their potential
Why Get Set?
Tyne Metropolitan College (North Tyneside, North East) wanted to involve students in the London 2012 experience in as many ways as possible, seeing the Olympic and Paralympic Games as uniquely inspirational and motivational.
Already having a strong sporting culture, the college wanted to engage non-sportspeople too, through the cultural Olympiad and the London 2012 volunteer programme.
“We strongly believe that every student at TyneMet can benefit from the many opportunities which are likely to present themselves as a result of being part of the Get Set Network.”
The Journey So Far
During a week long project linked to courses of study, students researched the history of the Games, focusing on friendship and respect. Further research in cross-course groups led to rooms and corridors being decorated with images, stories and facts relating to different countries.
TyneMet’s North East Sports Academy has focused on Olympic and Paralympic Values through:
- including Values in the Sports Academy’s code of conduct;
- asking athletes to commit to these when competing and representing the college; and
- launching a new wheelchair basketball development programme.
Tour de TyneMet was a shared ride on exercise bikes covering the ‘journey’ to Stratford, London. Various prizes were awarded to contributors and the ‘route’ even had to be extended as London was reached too soon! One group of students visited Stratford for real on a tour of the London 2012 Olympic Park, having won this through Get Set network membership.
Positive Values
Some of the Olympic and Paralympic Values have been incorporated into TyneMet’s new ‘Mission, Vision and Values’. Students are now more easily able to see ways in which the Values can relate to everyday college life.
Having gone through a number of recent changes, the Values have formed the cornerstone of a change in culture and focus for the whole college. Get Set membership has helped get hundreds of staff, students and service users involved in games-related activity.
And the highlights for students?
Students have been inspired by research on athletes and great sporting stories, by the sheer scale of the project to host the Games and by seeing how the Games will benefit the country as a whole.
When visiting the Olympic Park students were suitably impressed by the huge scale of the project being undertaken!
Towards 2012
Having been the first FE College in the UK to become a member of the Get Set network, TyneMet is determined that all students will become involved in events and activities relating to the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Of particular importance is inspiring those students who don’t have an interest in sport and showing them how an event such as the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games can offer many opportunities which are not related to sporting participation.
With an initial aim of using the Olympic and Paralympic Games as a motivational focus to aid students in reaching their potential and creating opportunities for themselves, an ultimate measure of success would be to have students or former students involved in London 2012 in some capacity.
