All our young people gain a lot from our programmes – self-confidence, fitness, wellbeing and more. Following graduation, many will leave us and get on with the rest of their lives with improved self esteem and skills to handle whatever life may throw their way. For others, running with us plays such a huge part in their journey that they want to find ways to contribute and help others follow in their footsteps. These young people have travelled a long road since joining TRC, often having to overcome addiction and mental health difficulties on top of being homeless. Overcoming these hurdles gives them a unique and valuable role to play in improving our programmes. With this in mind, over the last few weeks and supported by ASICS, we held a series of workshops in Manchester to help this talented bunch make the transition from programme member to TRC Ambassador.

Hosted by our wonderful delivery partners, Places For People, we had a meeting space at Salford Foyer. From Manchester we had marathon veterans, Adam, Alex, Cain and Martin and making the long journey from Newcastle we had Rhyss, our Geordie superstar. In the first week we were delighted to welcome inspirational SMSB coach and ASICS Brand Ambassador, Chevy Rough. This session was great and helped them to start to see themselves differently and taught them some valuable breathing techniques. They remained fully engaged for the entire workshop and Chevy made a real impact. In week 2, our very own Claude from London came up to discuss his own journey from programme member to Programme Coach. This unique insight really hit home and inspired everyone in the room. Week 3 saw the return of Chevy and the lovely SMSB crew, with Ste and Amy joining to offer additional insight and learnings on the benefits of movement. It was a great session where we developed the themes from the previous sessions including presentation, communication and leadership. It was good to share knowledge and see the young people taking away a lot from the experience.

We rounded off the course, as always, with a run. Our young Ambassadors all told us how they felt inspired and ready to take the next steps. Chevy & Claude were a big hit and they hope to be back in the future, thanks guys!