Thank you to our Bloomberg Christmas Helpers!

Over the last two weeks, over 200 Bloomberg staff took time out of their busy schedules to volunteer for ReachOut as a part of Best of Bloomberg, the organisation’s internal charitable drive which offers employees opportunities to make an impact on their local communities through volunteering in the run up to Christmas.

At six different events, teams of staff rallied together to make Christmas cards and presents for the young people on the ReachOut Club in London. Donning fancy dress and with festive music playing in the background, staff got stuck in and made some cracking items for ReachOut young people.

There were Christmas cards with 3D snowmen that popped out as you opened them and bundles of sweets that were cleverly wrapped up to resemble Christmas crackers, neatly pinched and tied at each end with ribbon.

Mentees on the ReachOut Club receive cards

At times, the making of the Christmas packages resembled the production lines at Henry Ford’s car-making factories! Different groups of staff were responsible for cutting paper and ribbon, others for wrapping the sweets neatly in the packages, while others were charged with finishing off the gifts by attaching a hand-written tag with a festive message scribbled on the inside!

The items made by Bloomberg staff were lovely gifts to reward our ReachOut Club young people with at their final sessions before Christmas. What’s great about the ReachOut Club is that young attendees feel that they belong there; it is their club where they can enjoy spending time with their mentors and each other. By being able to give the young people Bloomberg’s homemade cards and presents at Christmas time, we were able to really bring out this sense of belonging and give our young people one last thing to smile about at ReachOut before the Christmas break.

So, all that’s left for us to say is thank you very much, Bloomberg!

Merry Christmas. 

Merry Christmas from ReachOut

It has been a fantastic term for ReachOut. We have made good progress towards achieving our goals, and have provided 7 sessions of high caliber mentoring. As an end of term Christmas treat for our mentee's, we ran some extra special festive activities to reward them for all their hard work.

Our St Paul's Junior Mentor Girls project took to trip to the Manchester Climbing Centre to tackle the walls there. Brows were sheened with perspiration as everyone put in a great effort. Great fun was had by all as they tackled the imposing precipices.

The trip was a great opportunity for the young people to exercise some of the character values we have been emphasizing throughout the year, top most among them staying power. The walls can get quite tough and you have to push yourself at times. The girls all did really well and supported each other throughout.

Jo McSwaine

Project Officer

We all piled into the Our Lady’s mini bus and drove into Manchester city centre to eat our own bodyweight at Tai Wu Chinese buffet, and have a look around the Christmas Market. The mentors met us at the restaurant where everyone promptly loaded their plates with piles of food. Some of us tapped out after a couple of plates, but there were some impressive performances of four or more plates plus desert afterwards!

Frances Pearson

Project Officer

Our Lady's Year 8 Academy have been working towards a Christmas play for the last few weeks. Last Thursday was their big opportunity to impress parents and teachers with their self penned playscript.

It was great to see all of the young people working towards a goal, and taking a proactive role in organizing the play and the script. The play was a huge success, and the parents were very impressed!

Santi Sanchez Romero

                                                                                    Project Worker

Other trips included bowling at Parrswood and ice skating at Heaton Park. After such a great term we are all excited to see what next term holds. Merry Christmas everyone!

ReachOut is getting that Christmas feeling...

The tree is up and the advent calendar half gone. Letters to old Nick have been written and dispatched, and mulled wine bubbles on the stove. Here at ReachOut, December is a month where we like to celebrate the progress we have made in the academic term. Every year our inspirational volunteers make a commitment to making a lasting change in the local community, and every Christmas we take the opportunity to thank them, plying them with hearty Christmas fare.

The event was organized by our fantastic Society Chair person Hannah, who has worked diligently supporting the Manchester recruitment officer in staffing Manchester projects and in organizing fantastic socials for our volunteers. The social was held at All Bar One in Deansgate who served up some great grub to our hungry volunteers (along with the odd tipple!). 

The term has been a complete success and all of our volunteers have done a fantastic job. So thanks guys, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Now bring on next term.

Luke Shelbourn

Project Officer

Manchester

ReachOut Christmas Quiz

Do you know what gorillas do when they get nervous? Can you work out which ReachOut staff member’s name is an anagram of Town House Lurk?

You would if you had come to our Christmas Pub Quiz! Last night, ReachOut’s London-based staff and volunteers got together for an evening of drinks, food and quizzing. Congratulations to Quiz Team Aguilera who fended off the competition to win a £40 bar tab and a ReachOut mug each.

We’d like to thank the Shooting Star for helping us to host a great party and Jack Bond and Joe Kinchin-Smith for compering the quiz. Finally, a big thank you to everyone who came and made it such a fantastic evening.

Happy Christmas from everyone at ReachOut.

Lack of youth services failing UK youngsters

ReachOut provides youth services in London and Manchester.

In its first report on child poverty in Britain, the government’s Social Mobility & Child Poverty Commission recently called for an end to long-term youth unemployment ‘by increasing learning and earning opportunities’ for young people.

Currently, young people in the UK’s poorest communities face severe disadvantage, owing simply to their postcode. Their family lives are more likely to be fragmented, and they are exposed to fewer positive role models who can inspire and encourage them to work hard at school in order to break free of poverty.

On average, just 18% of young people from these communities will achieve at least 5 A*-C GCSEs, including Maths and English, compared to 61% of their peers from wealthier neighbourhoods.

This lack of motivation to do well leads to a lack of academic attainment and, therefore, staggering levels of youth unemployment. In these communities, youth unemployment reaches average levels of 38%, almost DOUBLE the national average of 21%.

As of September, 965,000 16 to 24 year olds in the UK were NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training). Each long term NEET young person will cost the state roughly £56,000 in their lifetime.

It seems obvious, then, that we should be engaging these young people from an early age, offering them extra-curricular services which introduce them to positive activities and role models who can inspire a healthy attitude towards education and work.

However, recently, youth services have been cut substantially. Between 2010 and 2012, cuts to youth services averaged 27%, while a handful of local authorities have axed their entire youth budget. This is reflected by the fact that 82% of ReachOut mentees reported in 2012 that they had no other, similar mentoring provision available to them in their communities.

Cuts to youth services are particularly dangerous. At a recent local authority event, one attendee said:

“the challenge we face is that we see kids in school or we see them in a youth offending team – there’s no safety net to identify children and offer early help; we have no youth service”.

Mentoring services are one such youth service that should be supported, not cut. For instance, 89.3% of boys who received additional support from a mentor in 2013 at the ReachOut Academy mentoring project achieved at least 5 A*-C GCSEs, compared to 56.7% in England.

Mentoring at the ReachOut Academy

ReachOut mentors have a profoundly positive impact upon the lives of young people. They support academic learning, but also have a long term impact on individual character and aspirations.

Michael was struggling to achieve the minimum number of GCSEs when he joined ReachOut. However, his mentor supported and inspired him to get back on track.

‘I joined ReachOut as a reluctant teen, was struggling at school and wasn’t predicted to get more than 5 GCSEs. However, at ReachOut, I received help with my homework from my mentor which got me back on track. This support and relaxed atmosphere created an environment that I wanted to learn in. It just seemed easier to learn more and more! I’m now a trainee teacher and owe a lot to ReachOut. I was struggling to get 5 GCSEs but, thanks to my mentor, ended up with 11, 3 A-Levels, a degree and now hopefully a PGCE!’

On average, it costs £411.50 to mentor a young person at ReachOut for a year. If, as in the case of Michael, this reduces the likelihood of becoming NEET, that’s a whopping saving to the state of over £55,500 per young person! With this in mind, the benefits of funding youth services, learning and earning opportunities for young people, are clear.

It is high time we heed the recommendations of the Social Mobility & Child Poverty Commission by reinstating funding for youth services.

By Luke Ounsworth

ReachOut Fundraising Officer

Survivors Manchester debate with the Junior Mentors

One Junior Mentors session had a very special guest speaker last Thursday. Duncan the founder and chief executive from Survivors Manchester, a vital charity working with and supporting male victims of abuse, came to our headquarters in Manchester to run a workshop and to spread the word of what he is currently trying to achieve in UK parliament.

The young people were split into two groups and were given agendas to argue in a mock parliamentary style. Strong opinions were voiced, vociferous rebuttals proffered, and views divided (watch your back Westminster). The debate was a great way to encourage the use of analytical skills while also encouraging self control and good judgement.

One of our corporate sponsors Zurich Community Trust were also in attendance. They provided a veritable feast for our volunteers and our mentees, and contributed a parliamentary speaker to the proceedings to keep each party in order.

All in all another great Junior Mentors session. Thanks to Duncan from Survivors Manchester and Zurich for making it happen.    

Step Up To Serve - ReachOut's Pledge

Today Step Up To Serve launched it's Campaign for Youth Social Action. The goal is to double the number of young people participating in social action to 50% by 2020, an ambitious but fantastic target. And we want to help!

ReachOut pledges to:

• Provide all our young people with one-to-one mentoring support so they can realise their full potential and become active citizens

• Provide accredited leadership training to all our young people aged 14 + so they can become Junior Mentors.

• Provide volunteering opportunities to all our young people aged 14 + so they can develop their role as Junior Mentors by providing academic and personal support to the younger children in their local communities.

At the ReachOut Junior Mentors projects young people aged 14+ receive one-to-one mentoring to develop leadership and teamwork skills, helping them to become mentors themselves.

If you'd like to get involved and help us to keep our pledge get in touch!

Au Revoir John

After 11 years of service John has decided to take early retirement from ReachOut to focus on his other professional interests. He will leave behind an organisation which he has been instrumental in helping to grow from 20 in 2002 to 1200 mentees today. His contribution to professionalising the work we do is invaluable and he will be sorely missed.

Fortunately, he will be staying in Manchester and is keen to continue to be in touch and help out whenever he is needed, so we look forward to seeing him regularly. We are very grateful  for his contribution over the past 11 years and for his willingness to keep helping the ReachOut cause.

For those of you who are in Manchester, there will be a farewell and thank you party on 29^th November at 5.30pm in the Manchester office of ReachOut. Please let us know if you're coming. Email monique@reachoutuk.org.

Monday Mentoring Tips

Starting next week our London Regional Manager, Pete Blackwell, will be sharing his knowledge and experience in mentoring though weekly tips to help you get to know your mentee and make a difference in their life.

A Hackney resident since 2004, Peter Blackwell has over 9 years' experience of working with children and young people.

He is an extremely active member of the local community, particularly in the borough’s education and sports sectors. He was a governor at Southwold Primary School for five years and has been on the board of the Hackney Football Partnership since 2008 where he has championed girls football in the borough.  

Under his leadership the London operation has grown to support over 500 mentees in London each year. In recognition for his commitment to the development of young people Peter was shortlisted for the Beacon Prize for Young Philanthropist in 2010 and was Hackney Sports Awards Volunteer of the Year runner up in 2011.  

To read his Monday Mentoring Tips, click here.

ReachOut mentees learn how to play the stock market with BNY Mellon

Could Manchester be hiding the next Warren Buffett? After last week's workshop at BNY Mellon, who knows! Young people aged 14-16 from Our Lady's High School in Higher Blackley came to the BNY Mellon office in Spinningfields, the corporate hub of Manchester, to test their financial acumen. 

The young people were given £80,000 per team (imaginary money unfortunately!) to invest in what stocks, shares and commodities they thought stood to go up in value. After each turn, the values of the stocks would change and the bank would open up again for stocks to be sold and bought. 

Fists punched the air as dividends came through, and heads were held in hands as stock holder confidence plummeted, but at the end of the day all our teams managed to stay in the black. 

The winning team managed to make a monstrous £18,000 thanks to shrewd investment in the gold and oil industries, and were rewarded with every aspiring stock brokers dream... Jellybeans!  

The workshop was a great opportunity for the young people to get a taste of corporate life in the city, and to ask any questions about the industry they want. It was a highly informative and interactive session, and  a great time was had by all. Thank you for making it happen BNY Mellon!

Luke
Manchester

This one, buy, buy, buy!

The results are in!

Shell staff shell out for ReachOut

On the morning of Saturday 19 October, a team of nine people from Shell took part in the Richmond Riverside 10K for ReachOut. The race saw runners sprinting along the banks of the Thames between Kingston and Richmond, the route of which took runners through the beautiful, rural surroundings of south west London.

Even though the skies were grey and grim, our brilliant runners were cheerful from the start to the finish line (though within seconds of the words ‘On Your Marks, Get Set, GO!’ they were all caked with mud from the soggy track!)

Several ReachOut staff as well as colleagues from Shell came down to Richmond to cheer on the runners as they sprinted by. Waving and clapping, the onlookers gave the runners an added boost and stayed to meet them all at the end with bottles of water and packets of biscuits to help them replenish all of the energy spent racing each other to the finish!

Between them, our runners raised a fantastic £1,553.73 for ReachOut, hugely impressive given that they only started fundraising two weeks before the event! However, this total is made all the more impressive when you consider that £100 will pay for the resources to mentor 10 young people at the ReachOut Club, our one-to-one mentoring programme for young people aged 10-11. Very well done, Team Shell!

Liam, Vanisha, Dmitry, Ken, Allan, Robert, Rich, Alan & Shane – you’re all fantastic! Thank you so much for all of your hard work and dedication. See you again next year, yeah? 

By Luke Ounsworth

If you're interested in taking part in an event for ReachOut please contact luke.ounsworth@reachoutuk.org or visit our website.

Runners take to the streets for ReachOut in Royal Parks Half Marathon

On Sunday 6 October, 6 brilliant ReachOut supporters donned their running vests and trainers and took part in the Royal Parks Half Marathon, a 13-mile endurance race through Central London.

Our wonderful new vests! (Photo: http://sohfree.com/)

Despite gloomy forecasts, the weather on the morning of the race was spectacular and our runners were in high spirits as they took to the streets of the capital to raise money for ReachOut. The route of the race took our runners through some of the most beautiful surroundings which London has to offer, including Hyde Park, St. James’ Park and Westminster.

A grand total of 16,000 people took part in the race for various different local, national and international charities so it was great to see the ReachOut logo running alongside the likes of Oxfam, Cancer Research UK and Macmillan.

Our runners were among the best in the race, one of whom achieved a new personal best of 1hr 39mins! (Congratulations Paul!)

Emily and Sohko at the finish line! (Photo: http://sohfree.com/)

So far, our wonderful runners have raised over £3,000 for ReachOut. This is a truly fantastic total, especially when you consider that just £10 is enough to provide all of the resources to mentor one young person for an entire year at the ReachOut Club, a one-to-one mentoring project for primary school pupils!

Paul, Neshaat, Sohko, Emily, Rachael and Bradley – you’re all superstars! Thank you again for all of our hard work and determination. We hope your legs weren’t too sore on Monday morning!

If you're interested in taking part in an event for ReachOut please contact luke.ounsworth@reachoutuk.org or visit our website.

Luke Ounsworth

A volunteer's experience of the ReachOut Club

When I started at the LSE I knew I wanted to make the year count, to make it a memorable and rewarding year. For me this meant not only pushing myself academically, but also pushing myself personally.

I always had the itch to do charitable work with a voluntary organization, so I was delighted to attend the Volunteering Fair run by the LSE Careers Volunteer Centre in my first weeks at LSE. It was here that I found out about ReachOut—a mentoring organization working with disadvantaged communities in East London and Manchester. Being an East Londoner, I decided this was a great opportunity to scratch the itch and do something for my local community.

Soon enough I found myself at Brook Community Primary School every Friday afternoon with a group of 10 year old boys and some similarly minded volunteers. The typical afternoon session began with an enthralling game of football. It’s a great start to the session not only because the lads to get run off some nervous energy, but also because it provides an opportunity to promote teamwork, sportsmanship and fairness. It also helped to build trust and respect with the mentees—if you scored a goal you were a king. After football it was straight to the books where mentor and mentee would work through numeracy and literacy exercises together. The great thing about ReachOut is that you are paired with the same mentee throughout the duration of term. This provides the opportunity to be a positive role model and track progress together throughout the year. Finally, if the lads were well behaved, then the afternoon would end with an action-packed a game of dodgeball. This secretly became my favourite time of the week. It was like being a kid again!

Volunteering is a tremendously empowering experience. It provides an outlet to tackle some of the social challenges you read about at university head on and you see the direct impact of your effort. I can genuinely say that volunteering at ReachOut has been one of the most rewarding and enjoyable experiences of my year studying at LSE. Rewarding not only because you see the positive impact you have on your mentee, but also because it helps to build professional and friendship networks and develop new skills—all while having a lot of fun in the process. It’s also a great break from study.

But it’s not without its difficulties, and these are perhaps the most rewarding elements of the whole experience. In particular, gaining the trust and respect of your mentee is challenging and really helps to build your emotional intelligence. You have to try different techniques, be creative and really listen to your mentee. I found that my mentee had an incredibly creative side and kept talking about inventing all these different types of gadgets. I used this to anchor the value of doing the numeracy and literacy work and it provided a base on which to build his confidence. At the end of the year I received a letter from my mentee stating although I was an annoying person, he respected me. I was chuffed (I was only annoying because I made him do his work)!

So if you do have the itch to do volunteer work, or if you want to develop your personal and professional skills, then I would highly recommend you get in touch with the crew at the ReachOut! 

Chris Wajzer

ReachOut is currently recruiting volunteers to become mentors on our projects. Visit our website for more information and to sign up.

Summer Project Success

Both inside and outside the classroom, this year’s London Summer Project was full of firsts.

We had our first summer fete, sponsored by the ACCA. This involved the traditional features of a summer fair, from a bouncy castle to face painting, alongside some more bizarre activities, including a cactus-themed hoopla, inflatable basketball and 10 pin bowling! Throughout the fete, one of our volunteers, Ryan, DJ-ed while the volunteers from the ACCA served up popcorn.

Later in the project, we had our first visit from the Cabinet Office Olympic and Paralympic Legacy team who hosted an athletics competition and a tense game of sitting volley ball. Afterwards, they gave everyone the exciting chance to have their photograph taken with the Olympic torch. Other new activities included a cycling course and a climbing trip.

Inside the classroom, we made a special effort to instil our four character values in our mentees: fairness, good judgement, self-control and staying power. Throughout the project, we had a merit race, offering merits and prizes to those who made the most effort to display these values. This proved an effective way encourage the young people to think about and improve their behaviour.

Alongside all these new and exciting activities we kept the old favourites which included swimming, kayaking, ice-skating and a cinema trip. It will be hard to top this year’s Summer Project. Have a look below to read about one volunteer’s experience of the Project.

A volunteer’s experience of the ReachOut Summer Project

"I have had the best time at the ReachOut Summer Project", a quote by a volunteer epitomising the feeling at the ReachOut Summer Project where young people have fun whilst developing life and educational skills along the way.

The atmosphere of the final day celebrations spoke volumes. As a member of staff, seeing all the students and their enthusiastic parents for a final time made me realise that the Summer Programme is unique and offers different challenges to that of the ReachOut Club and Academy Programmes during the school year. This was my first year working on the Summer Programme teaching English, and I know in my heart that the children and staff alike have come out on the other side with an unforgettable experience.

The children at the summer project varied from ages 9-14, which I thought presented itself as a challenge as some of the older children would influence the younger ones. However, the younger kids were allowed to integrate themselves with the older year groups, which was great preparation for the jump from primary to secondary school. 

I believe that seeing kids improve their character is fundamental and the vast majority of them have developed throughout the summer, displaying ReachOut's core values of staying power, good judgement, fairness and self-control. Throughout the project, I felt the development of a great class rapport, something which cannot be continued but which the children and I will not forget.

The staff developed friendships quickly from the very start which allowed a feeling of togetherness and community, with plenty of camaraderie. There was a vast array of interesting and diverse characters but all came together to make the project a success, and the end of project social reflected this, as we all celebrated enthusiastically.

It has been a roller-coaster but when I saw the year groups that I taught improve considerably, it gave me a sense of relief and increased my confidence about my impact in the classroom. Passion and determination are key to succeeding with the children; something the staff had in abundance which is what made the project so successful.

Jeremy Tang

North Manchester Football Club have their first competitive game

The boys from the North Manchester Academy kicked off their summer with their first ever competitive tournament as a team.The boys have been working towards building a team in their ReachOut sessions, and the annual Tintwhistle Athletic tournament in Glossop represented the fruits of 2 years hard work.

The tournament proved a great opportunity for the team to get a few competitive games under their belt before the start of the football league in a few months time. Many of the opposition teams had been playing together as teams for considerably longer than we had, but that didn't deter the North Manchester boys. They gave it their all and came away with plenty of positives to take into next season, while conducting themselves like real sportsmen.

Here is to many more ReachOut North Manchester FC matches to come!

Luke 
Manchester

Junior Mentors project goes down a treat!

Six months of hard work and preparation by our Junior Mentors came down to a night of fine dining and entertainment at Bishop Challoner School. The young people catered to a host of guests; family members, friends and even the Head of Girls’ Campus Nick Soar!

     

Head Teacher Nick Soar enjoys his starter.

The young people, who are part of the ReachOut Junior Mentors Project, served up a delightful 3 course meal; with the option of having either lamb or fruit kebab as a starter, chicken and mushroom pie or rice and peas with chicken. This was then topped off with a warm, delectable apple crumble for desert.

This was followed by a performance written and directed by, and starring the young people. In the months leading up to the event, the Junior Mentors prepared tirelessly for an enactment of how gang culture was ruining the community. They used the death of a fellow pupil who fell unkindly to gang culture, and also their own perception to put on a show which was described as ‘Top notch’ by Luke Ounsworth.

The audience were on the edge of their seat as the Junior Mentors performed.

The ReachOut Junior Mentors Project, funded by the Macquarie Group Foundation, are paired with senior mentors that help guide young people through various tasks and projects, that ultimately are designed to boost confidence & skills, encourage teamwork and provide a unique experience.

Sarah Barker, mother of Taylor Barker said “Taylor is very academic but has struggled emotionally and the ReachOut project came along at just the right time to give her the extra support she needed. The girls have become a really tight knit group. It’s been a really excellent project.”

Junior Mentor Shawkat Hussain said “ReachOut has changed my way of thinking about the future, it's not straightforward, because what I had in mind was to be a businessman, but I met mentors who work in banks and thought I could do that, and I also think I'd like to be a mentor one day. It's just been a great opportunity to be able to come to ReachOut.”

By Ali Aden, ex-ReachOut mentee

A fond farewell to Hannah Christie

1^st October 2012 was a landmark moment in ReachOut history as Hannah Christie became our first employee to transfer between offices.  After two years working in our Manchester office in roles including volunteer management, project delivery and fundraising, she moved to our London office to head up our fundraising efforts nationwide.

Hannah settled really well, and was a great asset to our team in London.  She did a wonderful job, exceeding both mine and ReachOut’s expectations in every way.  She brought some great attributes to the table, not least her office banter, but especially her relentless work ethic and intelligent creativity. 

She has been a really valued member of our team, and as such there were bittersweet emotions when she left us last month (May 2013) for an incredible opportunity as Corporate Partnerships Manager at the St Giles Trust.  Thankfully she’s still helping us with fundraising, and volunteers regularly at the ReachOut Academy, so it’s not quite goodbye and we wish her all the best in the new job!

Peter Blackwell

Sir Howard Bernstein Visits ReachOut

On Monday the 3rd of June Sir Howard Bernstein payed a visit to our Rusholme headquarters. Our own Xavier Bosch invited Sir Howard, because he felt the CEO of Manchester City Council could impart some valuable wisdom to our mentors and mentees.

As most readers of this blog will agree, mentoring is such a valuable process for young people in Manchester and London, but what did Sir Howard have to say about it?

Throughout Sir Howard's talk, he emphasized the importance of the work that ReachOut carries out on a weekly basis. He argued that mentoring was preventative of future disadvantage, and as a result helps to reduce the dependency of disadvantaged people on council support. Bearing this in mind, mentoring is not only a hugely beneficial thing for the individuals themselves, but also for the city as a whole.

Sir Howard has done more than anyone else to make Manchester a vibrant and recession proof city. In recognition of his commitment to improving the city, ReachOut awarded him the title of Honorary Chief Mentor.

If there is one leaf we can take out of Sir Howard's book, its that we can all do something to make our city great. So let's carry on with the good work!

Luke Shelbourn
Manchester

In Pictures Summer 2013

London Academy Y9s (and Fran) outside the stunning 'Sagrada  Familia' during a half-term trip to Barcelona

Manchester’s (frosty) annual Junior Mentor outward bound trip to Aberdovey

A full house for the Volunteer Awards in Manchester

London 'Bronze Award' winners proudly show off their certificates at the Volunteer Awards

Top Corner! 'Simply Health' eventually ran out winners in another successful Charity Cup in Manchester

Bloomberg, champions of the London Charity Cup 2013, pictured with the tournament organisers, the London Academy Y9's

ReachOut supporter Terry Stokes was one of four brave souls who ran the London Marathon on our behalf

ReachOut has undergone an amazing makeover

Barcelona 2013

After a year of hard work, both in the classroom and on the football pitch, the ReachOut Year 9’s got their just rewards, jetting off to Barcelona for four days of fun, culture and football on the 28^th of May.

The flight from a grey Gatwick to sunnier climates marked the start of a trip filled with new experiences which the boys are certain to never forget. For some it would be a first time flying, a first time abroad, a first prolonged period away from family and even a first opportunity to swim in the sea.

Charles in the dance off

After arrival in Badalona, a picturesque coastal city adjoined to Barcelona, the boys got their first taste of the city soaked in culture. Following dinner by the beautiful port, the boys themselves became the attraction entertaining tourists with a ‘dance off’ on Barcelona’s most famous street, ‘La Rambla’.

Albert, Habib, Josh, David and Charles - the future of FC Barcelona?

On our first full day, there was nowhere better to start than with a visit to one of the world’s most famous sporting arenas, the ‘camp nou’, home to F.C Barcelona. The club’s moto ‘mes que un club’ is famously spelt out in the chairs of the stadium, and whilst we couldn’t have been any further from the Hackney Marshes, the amazed expressions on the boy’s faces reminded me that we did have something in common with the world’s greatest club, at ReachOut, we too, are ‘more than a club’. After our visit to the stadium it was time to take advantage of the good weather and hit the beach for some relaxation before our first football match later that evening.

Albert, Ayo, Habib, Anil and Tarik chillin'.

The privilege of playing football in Europe is usually reserved for those who have enjoyed domestic success, so it was fitting that the boy’s first foray into Europe should come quick off the back of a league and cup double under the stewardship of Arrigo ‘Vialli’ Beino. The boys played two matches on a pitch set high in the hills with stunning views overlooking the city, winning comfortably in their first game (5-1) before losing out to a team of older players in the second.

Alan, Albert (again!) Reuben and Agit being forced to have a photo with Fran

The second day was spent exploring the city centre, where we visited the stunning ‘Sagrada Familia’ and shopped for souvenirs. Then it was back to the scenic pitch of our hospitable hosts F.C Brafa, where the home team ran out 5-4 in a thrilling encounter. The match ended with a friendly penalty shout-out, with the ReachOut boys keeping their cool to win 4-2. After the match we headed back to our hostel via the stunning ‘Casa Batllo’, another masterpiece of Gaudi’s.

Time flies when you’re having fun and before we knew it, it was time to head home, but not before a trip to Europe’s largest theme park, PortAventura.

It was a trip that the young people (and adults) will never forget. It was a deserved reward for all their hard work at the Academy, on the football pitch and in fundraising for the trip.

By Ewan Rothnie

ReachOut's Year 9s salute their fans.