Will

Kieren

I’ve been coaching sports since I was 17 years old. It all began when I started working at a Just for Fun holiday club to earn some money during college breaks. As opportunities arose, I shifted my focus, and I ended up completing my college work online and in my own time. This allowed me to teach after-school clubs for the Just for Fun holiday club.

Additionally, around the same time, I was offered the opportunity to help teach martial arts at my taekwondo and kickboxing school. I had been training at that school since I was 6 years old and had earned a 2nd-degree black belt in taekwondo.

Afterwards, I received my qualification in sport science and decided to leave college. My primary goal was to invest more of my time and effort into conducting school sessions for both the Just for Fun and Success Martial Arts programs. I had no plans to attend university because I wanted to gain more experience and knowledge in coaching and learn about the behind-the-scenes aspects of running certain aspects of a business.

Since that time, I've had the privilege of teaching sessions in over 10 schools, including an SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) school. I derive great satisfaction from working with children, as I enjoy witnessing the significant impact a coach can have on a child's life by serving as a positive role model. It's equally rewarding to observe the progress made by the children, whether it's within the sport itself or in their growth in confidence and comfort within group scenarios.

My whole life has been football up until I was 18/19 when I got released from Swindon Town Football Club. This tough setback for me really changed my outlook on life as it meant I had to think of other things in life beyond football. My love for football remained, of course; however, I was playing at a different club and less often, but I was happy because it was still at a decent level and men’s football at 19. This forced me to look elsewhere to use my time as I had finished being in education.

I started initially with coaching kids, which I thoroughly enjoyed, but it wasn’t on a full-time basis, so I decided to work with my dad fitting kitchens and doors on a part-time basis. However, the work still wasn’t enough as he was slowing down, ready to retire. This is when I went to some of my closest mates, and they sorted me out with a full-time job ground-working with them.

This was a real eye-opener as it made me realise my passion and love for football was overriding working on a site shovelling cement around because it meant I would turn up for training battered from the long day.

So I quit, and this is when I went back to the idea of coaching because I enjoyed it but wanted a more full-time job of it. This is when I ran into Louis and have been coaching ever since. Coaching kids and helping them develop their football and seeing results has made me realise how rewarding working with kids is, and this is why I decided to get involved with stride.

Kristina

Over the last 5 years I have enjoyed supporting young people to unlock their potential, build social confidence and grow, by focusing on their mental health and social well being. Physical activity has been an integral part of my approach to establish trust and connection. Alongside focusing on exercise, I believe in supporting young people to discover more about themselves and try and help them by providing alternative perspectives to some of the challenges they might be facing.

As well as supporting young people through enrichment groups, l was fortunate enough to work as a mentoring volunteer for a charitable trust.

I was matched with a remarkable young woman, with whom I was able to build a strong relationship based on trust and understanding. By gently pushing her outside her comfort zone and exposing her to new experiences in a controlled way, l helped her discover her resilience and build her confidence to try new things. It was incredibly rewarding to witness this initially shy and anxious girl transform into a confident and secure young lady over the course of one year.

Growing up in an unstable home environment and finding myself struggle at school, both academically and socially, I still vividly remember these sad, stressful and often lonely times. Having overcome and most importantly grown from this experience, I aim to provide stability, support and nurturing to people I work with, trying to be the person I often wished for when I was growing up.

I believe that young people need a chance to attain their potential and someone to believe in them. I strive to be an inspiring and motivating support to young people to help them become the best version of themselves that they can be.

Mentor

Mentor

Mentor

Simone

Head of Operations and DSL

I’m a psychology grad who started out in HR at a start-up but made the jump into education to really make a difference for young people. For the last few years, I’ve worked as a Teaching Assistant in both SEMH and mainstream schools, where I got to know the ins and outs of supporting students in different environments. I’m also trained as an ELSA, helping students build emotional skills that make school life easier and more positive.

Outside of Stride, I’m lucky to mentor for a charity, which is always rewarding. Here at Stride, I get to bring together all these experiences to make a real impact on young people who benefit from a bit of extra support.

As Stride’s Designated Safeguarding Lead, I make sure all our staff and students feel safe, supported, and welcome. The best part of my work is helping students find their confidence and explore their goals. Watching their small steps turn into real changes is amazing, and I’m excited to see just how far Stride can go in creating positive, lasting change for young people.