Sporting volunteer

Layen Wisdom is a local volunteer for the Burngreave Sports Network.

Story by Layen Wisdom

My name is Layen Wisdom, I am seventeen years old and I have a keen interest in sports. I am studying for a BTEC National Diploma in Sport at Sheffield College.

I never really thought about doing voluntary work until last summer. I knew I needed some sort of experience in coaching to help with my college application so I volunteered to help out at the All Saints Soccer School.

Children from the age of five attend these coaching sessions and their enthusiasm is extremely stimulating. When children take part in an activity they enjoy, they try very hard and always look to be told how good they are at what they’re doing. The look on the children’s faces when their team scores is a look of sheer enjoyment and I could just tell these children weren’t there because they had to be. They love football and that’s always a nice sight to see.

Coaching youngsters is something I would encourage everybody to try out. When you see children do something they learnt the week before, like a certain skill they’ve seen on TV, it’s a great experience that can put a smile on your face.

Some people will think that volunteering is not for them and that’s exactly how I felt when I considered doing it. However, when I was in my college interview, I was asked if I’d done any kind of coaching because one of the course modules had a lot to do with it. The volunteering I had done the summer before definitely helped me gain a place on the course I wanted. Voluntary coaching adds another category to your CV and is another experience that you can say you have had.

Coaching is not just about gaining experience for yourself though or putting something new on your CV. Helping children improve at sport and seeing them learn properly, knowing that you played a major part in their improvement is brilliant.

The Burngreave Sports Network is always looking for volunteers to help develop our network. By volunteering you are not only helping your local community but also gaining valuable work experience that can help you get into college and get a job. Call 241 9100 for more information.

<< | Up | >>

Print version

The content on this page was added to the website by Jamie Marriott on 2016-10-24 16:40:44.
The content of the page was last modified by Jamie Marriott on 2016-10-24 16:42:00.

Follow us on Twitter @TheBMessenger

All content is copyright © Burngreave Messenger Ltd. or its voluntary contributors, unless otherwise stated, not to be reproduced without permission. If you have any comments, or are interested in contributing to the Messenger and getting involved, please contact us.

Burngreave Messenger Ltd. Abbeyfield Park House, Abbeyfield Road, Sheffield S4 7AT.
Telephone: 0114 242 0564. Email: mail@burngreavemessenger.org
Company Limited by Guarantee: 04642734
Registered Charity: 1130836

The Burngreave Messenger is a community newspaper with editorial independence, funded by the Big Lottery, Foyle Foundation, Trusthouse Charitable Foundation, the Garfield Weston Foundation, the Scurrah Wainwright Charity, local residents and our advertisers.

Help the Messenger with a donation