August 2011
The Prince's Trust serves up a treat
Young people from all over the UK were treated to a trip to
Wimbledon after taking part in Prince’s Trust xl clubs.
The Prince’s Trust xl programme, helps young
people who are struggling at school or at risk of exclusion, giving
them skills and confidence to gain qualifications.
As part of the xl programme, the young people
have taken part in a tennis training course supported by the Lawn
Tennis Association (LTA) and pioneered by Gosling High Performance
Tennis Centre in Hertfordshire.
Sean's story
Fifteen-year-old Sean Doddle, joined The
Prince’s Trust xl club run by West Herts College after struggling
at school which left him unhappy. However, one year in, Sean is
much happier and is looking forward to his future.
As part of the course, Sean took part in the
tennis scheme at Gosling High Performance Tennis Centre - also run
by The Trust and funded by the LTA which further boosted his
self-esteem and team-working skills.
Sean excelled on the scheme and his enthusiasm
for the game, and the extra practice he was putting in, led him to
win the boys’ singles title at the tennis tournament at the end of
the course.
Tom Keer, Head of Sport at The Prince’s Trust
said: “The aim of the xl programme is to improve attendance,
self-esteem, confidence, motivation and social skills whilst
working towards their qualifications.
Sport plays a vital role
in the re-engagement of young people and we use tennis as part of
the course to help build these skills which are vital for the world
of work or further education. The xl tennis initiative this
year has included eight clubs and 104 young people all of whom have
been provided with one introductory session at school, five
two-hour sessions at the tennis centre, an inter-xl club tournament
and tennis-related progression opportunities. More than three in
four young people on Prince’s Trust programmes move into work,
training or education.
Chief Executive of the Lawn Tennis
Association, Roger Draper added,
We are very supportive of programmes that help
more people play tennis such as The Prince’s Trust xl programme and
to hear the positive stories that have come out of just two years
of this activity is really encouraging.