Over the past six months, with the kind funding from the Gatwick Airport Community Trust, three students from Imberhorne School have completed their incredible six-month mentoring programme with English Deaf Footballer, Fil Kamps. The mentees have certainly embraced this once in a lifetime opportunity with Fil and gained so much from this wonderful programme.

During these exciting mentoring calls, Fil and his mentees have spoke about a variety of topics including football, nutrition, anxiety and ways to cope with nerves when under pressure. It was great to see all three mentees grow into stronger and more resilient individuals with Fil’s help.

The Gatwick Airport Community Fund Trust is an independent charity that awards grants annually for deserving projects within a specified area. They generously support schemes that are targeted towards the development of young people. We are extremely grateful for their support towards this Silver Mentoring Programme and to see the direct impact their generosity has had on the young people involved.

After a year of uncertainty, fortnightly mentoring calls with an elite athlete can boost morale and positivity for the young people who get to take part in our programmes. Fil Kamps inspired his mentees from Imberhorne School to be more resilient and have more awareness in lots of different scenarios and spoke to them all about where he started along with the lessons he has learnt on his sporting journey. Fil highlighted that he was once in their position at school, and had dreams of playing for England which turned into a reality for him. The two mentees learnt a lot from these mentoring calls with Fil and were able to relate to the highs and lows he has experienced, which gave them an insight into the future if they work hard, dream big and never give up.

Throughout these calls, the mentees also asked Fil lots of questions and asked him for some advice in relation to life changes and exam pressure, to which Fil responded to with the best relatable advice he had.  

The three mentees benefited a lot from these calls with Fil and they now are equipped with multiple tools and skills which they can utilise in their future lives when they are faced with a challenge or a setback. The mentees also learnt a lot about the importance of using your support network around you to ask for advice and help when you are worried or feel like you are struggling with something. Fil related this a lot to his own journey and how much he reached out to his support network throughout his elite career. This then motivated the mentees to reflect on their own journeys and use their support network more, including their teachers, friends and family which was a great outcome for Fil.

During their last few mentoring calls, the Euro 2021 Football competition was a great talking point for Fil and his mentees, who spoke about the challenges the players were experiencing during the tournament. Even when England lost in the final, Fil spoke to his mentees about how much you can learn from a loss and that an elite career is not easy and straightforward, teaching them that you have to experience the lows to appreciate the highs but most importantly you have to move forward as a team and support those around you when you experience the lows.

Fil thoroughly enjoyed his mentoring calls with his three mentees from Imberhorne and left a lasting message for them which was to,

“Dream big, work hard and stay humble”.

Thank you to the Gatwick Airport Community Trust for supporting this wonderful Silver Mentoring Programme, we are very grateful to have your support as this has helped inspire and motivate more young people with our fantastic Ambassador.

If you are interested in a Silver Programme like this one above with any of our inspirational Ambassadors, then please get in touch via the Mintridge website at www.mintridgefoundation.org.uk or with Katie at katie@mintridge.org.uk.

The Mintridge Foundation is a registered charity dedicated to enhancing life skills in young people through sport. We provide a support network for young people by harnessing the power of positive sporting role models. The Mintridge Foundation assists young people of all ages, abilities, and physical capabilities to develop confidence and resilience, and creates awareness of the importance of mental and physical wellbeing through sport.

Our team of Ambassadors - Olympians, Paralympians and other professional sports stars from over 20 sports, both team and individual - work with young people in schools, clubs and academies across the UK. Starting with visits including assemblies, coaching clinics and classroom sessions tailored to each organisation’s requirements, our ambassadors can then provide one- on- one remote mentoring in a safeguarded environment, delivered via technology such as FitSwarm and Playwaze to build a lasting legacy for individuals.

The Mintridge Foundation’s successes demonstrate the incredible power of sport; from a mentee’s selection to represent Great Britain in their chosen field to enabling disabled children to find confidence and happiness just through participation. Understanding life after sport, we also support our Ambassadors in their transition from active sport to the next stage of their careers.

To find out more about the Mintridge Foundation, please contact Alex Wallace.

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