Ambassador Highlights
We’ve had a fantastic summer full of creativity and new experiences. It began with an exciting two-day workshop at the London Screen Academy (LSA), where students explored TV and sports broadcasting — scripting, filming, and producing their own green screen TV segments with impressive energy, confidence and imagination. Soon after, a group of Year 9 students took part in a summer programme along London’s Southbank, where they took creative portraits, interviewed members of the public, and uncovered facts about historical landmarks along the Southbank and St Pauls area. A highlight was a brilliant day with our corporate partner, Academia, where volunteers got a taste of what Football Journeys is like. This gave our Ambassadors the chance to gain insights from professionals working in the tech industry about their own career paths and experiences.
Student Spotlights
John Raheem, City of London Academy, 2021
“I completed the programme in 2021 (I think). I believe football journeys was a very immersive and educational experience and I genuinely enjoyed it. One of the highlights for me was the school exchange as I got to meet many new people from different backgrounds.
As an ambassador I enjoyed the multiple different workshops from different professions that we were exposed to as they were very enjoyable, and whilst I'm on the Youth Advisory Board I hope to help the younger ones and allow them to feel comfortable and relaxed in the programme and make the activities they partake in enjoyable.”
Salwa Ahmed Abdi - Kensington Aldridge Academy, 2022
“Being part of Football journeys has allowed me to see first hand how football and film can bring young people like myself together despite being from many different backgrounds and areas.
The different workshops and events helped us build connections with each other but also with people we may not have met otherwise eg from the different organisations like Equinix. We also learnt how to work in a team with people you may not know or be similar to which is an important skill.
Becoming an ambassador has helped me develop my leadership and communication skills and reconnect with the people from other schools I met on the program when we were in year 9.
Now as a member of the youth advisory board I want to use my knowledge and everything I’ve learnt from the workshops and events to help develop more opportunities for the younger ambassadors taking part. I also want to continue to develop my skills in leadership, teamwork and professionalism.”
Mission Accomplished
Ian, and The Academia Team Conquer the '50 for 50' Challenge
A massive shout-out and congratulations to our Chair of Trustees, Ian, fellow trustee Mark McCormack, and the fantastic team from Academia the Technology Group for successfully completing the grueling '50 for 50' challenge!
For 50 days, the team pushed their limits, running 5km daily to support Football Journeys. Ian personally logged an incredible 269.5km—the equivalent of over six marathons!
This incredible feat was a major push for our annual '50 for 50' campaign, which aims to raise £50,000 this year. Hitting this target will enable us to put 50 young people through our life-changing programmes. Your support and every ache-filled step taken are bringing us closer to that goal!
You can still donate to help us hit our £50,000 target and support more young people.
Our Fundraiser Chloe is getting in the ring to fight for FJ in the White Collar Fightclub! She's hard at work in the gym, perfecting her footwork and learning how to throw a punch, ready for the big fight night at the Royal Regency on October 11th. Of course we don't usually condone fighting, but we're making an exception this time. If you'd like to support Chloe's Fighting for FJ fundraiser you can make a donation to her GoFundMe here:
White Collar Fightclub:
Chloe’s Challenge!
FJ is looking to develop an App. Are you the wizard we need to help us scope the project?
New beginnings & more to come!
I'm super excited to announce we've officially launched our first-ever Youth Advisory Board (YAB)! We've always worked alongside our young people to shape the program, but now we have a dedicated team that will help us take their ideas and our collaboration to the next level. It's a great feeling to formalise their invaluable input.
This summer was a real highlight, as we got to see three of our members who started with us at just 13 years step up as paid staff during our summer activities. It was amazing proof of how the program creates a clear path for young people creating consistency in their lives and meeting their needs as they progress. It was also incredibly inspiring for younger ambassadors members, who got to see one direct possibility for their own futures.
We've got so much more to share, and we'll give you a fuller picture of our youth leadership initiatives in the next newsletter.
