Hello Grace & Congratulations!

Welcome to your Mintridge Mentoring Programme with Olympian, Sarah Jones OLY!

Congratulations!

Sarah is your personal mentor and you will have direct access to her for questions, help and advice on tactics, leadership, competing at the top level, how to gain confidence… You name it, you can ask it! Your mentoring sessions will take place fortnightly using our Playwaze platform and Zoom (or other online methods). We hope that you enjoy this privileged position.

Everything you need for your mentoring programme is right here on this page. You can access all of your mentoring documents via the links below and we encourage you to take some time to look through everything on this page with your parent/carer.

If you have any questions at all during your mentoring programme, you can contact the Mintridge team via the button at the bottom of this page.

We hope you enjoy this brilliant mentoring programme and we look forward to getting you started on this journey.

Welcome to the Mintridge Foundation family!

Please can the parent/carer of our new Mintridge mentee, complete this form below before we begin the mentoring programme. You can contact the Mintridge team if you have any questions.

Make sure you join your Playwaze community before the start of your mentoring programme so the Mintridge team can organise this first call for you. We require for your teacher and / or carer to join this community too.

As a mentee, you can raise your own free funds through Easyfundraising that can go towards your training kit, school equipment or anything you need during your journey. Take a look at the information below to learn more about setting up your own cause and you can then get started just here!

As part of the Mintridge family, we would love for you to support us in any way you can. Whether that is through sharing our stories, signing up to take part in events or raising funds and awareness for the charity for many years to come.

Two really easy ways to support the Foundation, are to take a look at our Support Us page and see how you might be able to help or be involved or to join Easyfundraising and raise free funds for the Foundation when you do your online shopping.

The Mintridge Foundation Mission

The Mintridge Foundation is a registered charity that wants every young person to have a positive relationship with sport.

What Problem Are We Tackling?

In a world of superficial social media presence, increasing sedentary lifestyles, a mental health epidemic and the long reaching impact of Covid - 19, young people need to see a greater variety of sporting role models. Young people need the Mintridge Foundation more than ever.

Research commissioned by Continental Tyres, an official partner of the England Lionesses, highlighted that 60% of girls aged between 11-17 believe an inspirational role model is the best way to kick-start a sporting journey.

By giving people the confidence to move, they will find the confidence to shine and overcome life's challenges.

How Do We Achieve Our Mission?

The Mintridge Foundation harnesses the unique platform of sporting role models far beyond their medals.

Olympians, Paralympians and other sports stars (Mintridge Ambassadors) deliver holistic sports provision in schools, clubs and colleges across the UK for young people from all walks of life, of all abilities and physical capabilities via four strands:

1)      Presentations and classroom sessions to share their unique sporting journey.

2)      Coaching sessions to kickstart a healthy sporting journey or to help nurture an existing pathway.

3)      One-to-one remote mentoring to ensure the greatest legacy for six months to offer continued support for student mental and physical fitness (delivered via safeguarded technology).

4)      Behind-the-scenes access at a live sports fixture to showcase the opportunities of sport for mentees and their families.

Each child has a unique journey. Mintridge Ambassadors help young people live well and develop mental and physical fitness superpowers. They have an incredible ability to ignite a fire within the young people they work with. Mintridge athletes, previously only seen on television, stand in front of students in person, give their time, expertise and advice. This makes the students feel special, they truly listen to the athletes in a different way to many other adults in their lives. Someone important is giving up their time for them, someone relatable. The more relatable and mirrored the “hero” is, the stronger the connection.

Our Impact?

Our programmes change lives and have a deep impact, we are always thrilled to learn just how far-reaching and positive the outcomes can be, demonstrating 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 through participation. Equally, we have helped rebuild families and given young girls the confidence to own their own stage!

By bridging a gap and sprinkling the Mintridge magic, we are helping young people see what they can be, and that possibilities really are endless.

Young people learn life skills such as teamwork, leadership, and real-life relationships and connections. They gain a sense of empowerment and the ability to receive constructive coaching preparing them for the workplace too.

Youth sport creates thousands of teachable moments that transcend life; this includes empathy. For example, they can choose to lift one another up, particularly when mirroring positive role models in their life.

Bullying is an extremely sad narrative that impacts young people. Introducing young people to positive sporting experiences can break down barriers and reduce bullying behaviour. Peer attitudes and behaviour can change, and individuals can recognise and respect differences while understanding impact and consequences.

Dual Impact

Both parties (mentor and mentee) leave our programmes feeling enriched and inspired.

Understanding life after sport, we also support our Ambassadors in their transition from active sport to the next stage of their careers.

The ripple effect of the programmes upon peers and the young person’s family creates an even greater positive benefit – positive repercussions are ongoing to ensure that more people are living well.