Playing for Success with passion and enthusiasm
Why Get Set?
A Playing for Success Centre working with students from schools across Wythenshawe, Greenzone was already involved in activities based on the Games through Pass it On, the national Playing for Success Inspire Mark project. Partnership with Sale Harriers Athletics Club was also strong.
Get Set would provide even more opportunities to:
- use the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games as a key resource;
- raise standards;
- increase sporting participation; and
- Motivate!
Greenzone aimed to encourage every student they work with to use Get Set resources and to encourage local schools to use materials and get involved in any way they can.
The journey so far
Greenzone helped launch the Playing for Success Relay programme across England, releasing balloons representing the Olympic and Paralympic Values. Students read poems to mark the occasion. Included among special guests was Olympic hopeful Niall Brooks from Sale Harriers Manchester Athletics Club.
Over 100 participants from Greenzone took part in the national Pass It On poetry competition, producing some fantastic compositions encapsulating the Values.
Greenzone welcomed Jeremy Beeton, the Director General of the Government Olympic Executive, to an Olympic Showcase Day. Pupils from three local schools took part in activities demonstrating the sporting and learning opportunities afforded by the Games to children and young people.
Greenzone are organising visits to the Paralympic World Cup in Manchester to be inspired first hand by real Paralympians.
Positive Values
Greenzone recognises that every child has heroes with qualities they admire and aspire to. Hosting the Games provides young people with access to a wide range of diverse Olympic and Paralympic heroes who they can connect with and be inspired by. The potential impact of London 2012 for Greenzone students has already been evident through the success of Amy Williams in Vancouver.
The Pass It On poetry competition brought passion and enthusiasm to the fore. Even reluctant writers were motivated to take part because of the sporting connections and the freedom to express themselves in a way that was relevant to them, producing a rap or lyrics for a song, rather than a poem.
What inspires the students?
- ‘People like Amy Williams risked their lives to get us a gold medal!’
- ‘The athletes represent their country and never give up.’
- ‘Even though they’ve got a disability it doesn’t matter, they can still be part of it.’
Towards 2012
Students will continue to participate in the national Playing for Success competitions with future events based around maths and ICT. Additionally there will be activities based around all the Values. They are also planning to host a mini Games involving all partner primary schools.
Greenzone very much wants to empower students in becoming self-motivated and participating in and benefiting from a more diverse range of activities.
The working partnership with Sale Harriers will continue. A number of their athletes have Olympic aspirations and will be promoted as role models to Greenzone’s students. There will be opportunities to interview athletes and find out at first hand some of the motivational principles that drive such people to strive to be the best they can be.
